Blind Hammer looks at West Ham’s run of injuries and asks if there are wider and longer term factors which requires a strategic rebalancing of the squad.
The injury to James Collins is the latest example of how West Ham has had to rise against adversity to compete in a memorable season.
All teams get players injured but west Ham has suffered from clumps of injuries to key positions making cover very difficult. We currently have not only Collins injured, but Tomkins, and Reid all injured from the defensive element of our squad. Even Joey O’Brien, who has filled in from time to time in central defence is injured.
Mention of O’Brien reminds us that we have similar pressure on our right back position with Jenkinson also out for the season, Tomkins unable to cover and Byron’s suspension coming at a awkward time.
Arguably though over the season the most disruptive injuries which have cost us most points have come in our midfield and attacking areas. The most challenging part of our season was when we lost not just Payet but Lanzini, Song and Moses from our creative midfield engine. Moses and Song even now seem a hit and miss option, likely to miss as many games as they plays. Andy Carroll’s absences are well known but Sakho has also been missing since November and Valencia appears to never be able to complete more than a five game run before having to return to the side-lines with a further injury.
Fortunately we also have a robust core in Adrian, Noble, Antonio and Cresswell who seem to be able to play nearly all season without mishap. However there is no doubt that it is the absence of our creative midfield and striking options that are most difficult to cover within our squad.
Various theories abound as to the root of our apparent injury malaise. Bilic has pointed a finger at Chadwell Heath and temporarily abandoned the facility to re-locate to Rush Green. However when last we heard the squad had limped, perhaps literally, back to Chadwell Heath as Rush Green facilities are simply not up to scratch yet. In response to this dilemma Bilic has apparently been running more training sessions at the Boleyn in an attempt to escape the Chadwell Heath hoodoo. This seems eminently sensible but this may have inadvertently caused more problems.
Understandably the club have been reluctant to invest in a pitch that they will be ripping up in a few weeks/months’ time. According to reports the pitch is years overdue for renewal and the extra training sessions, allied to our cup run has seen the pitch have more than usual wear and tear. There is no direct evidence that the spate of hamstring injuries, of which Collin’s is only the latest example is due to the deteriorating pitch but it is not likely to help.
However there may be a deeper trend here which is affecting not just West Ham but all Premiership clubs. Arsenal’s defeat last weekend at Old Trafford was marked by two significant goal scorers. For Arsenal, Welbeck , their forgotten English striker, returned after missing nearly all of the season through injury. For Manchester United, despite their vast access to enormous transfer resources, they had to rely on a spectacular premiership debut by 18 year old Rashford who was playing because of injury to Anthony Martial and in the long term absence of Rooney. For both Arsenal and Manchester United injuries to key strikers have shaped their performance this season.
For Liverpool Sturridge is only now returning after months of injury. Manchester City has been similarly hit by injuries to Aguero and Silva. Everton came under pressure to sign another forward in January because of injuries to Romelu Lukaku’s.
For Southampton Charlie Austin has already been side-lined for most of his stay because of problems with his hamstring though this is probably the least surprising injury to occur in the Premiership. Whilst talking of Southampton we should also remember that they lost Rodriguez for over a year. For Chelsea Radamel Falcao is another forgotten man of Premiership strikers whose injury record prevented Marseille signing him in January.
You could make a similar list of key attacking midfielders for various clubs , Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Arsenal has been missing for most of the season, Hazard has struggle to appear consistently for Chelsea, Fellini at Manchester United and so on.
I have not researched this in detail but I am sure that if you worked down the Premiership table you would have a long list of injured strikers and attacking midfielders. The teams who have been most blessed by lack of injuries appear to be Leicester and Spurs. This fact probably underlies their respective league positions. However they appear to be the exceptions which prove the rule. Quite simply they are lucky.
Whilst it is tempting to look within West Ham for answers to the injury hoodoo the wider evidence suggests the answer may not be within the club. A more likely answer is that over the last 20 years human bodies and the demands we make on them have changed. We only have to look at the breaking of records at Athletic events over the last 20 years to realise that the science of human bodily development has improved consistently. In football this increasing athleticism, speed, power and endurance of players at the highest level is greater than it has ever been. It would seem a logical conclusion therefore that if we are developing and stressing human bodies to an extent never before seen, that breakdowns are more likely. Footballers do not have the performance luxury of Athletes or boxers who can plan and gradually increase stress on their bodies to a peak performance two or three times a year. A Premiership footballing athlete will in contrast be placing performance stress on their bodies not to or three times a year but two or three times a week. In this context it is no coincidence that it is the players at the competitive sharp end of the pitch, in attack and attacking midfielders, that are most prone to stress and injury. Players here typically have to perform whilst outnumbered by defenders who are unlikely to be gentle with their attentions. No manager in modern times have ever picked more forwards than defenders, even the most attack minded pick formation loaded with defenders. Nowadays a 4-4-2 formation is often seen as a recklessly attack minded formation but even here 2 forwards are outnumbered by 4 defenders.
So what can we do to redress this apparent plague of injuries to strikers and attacking midfielders? The restricted size of squads in the premiership to 25 players underlies why even the clubs with deepest pockets have encountered problems. They cannot in the short term buy their way out of difficulty. This is probably the best argument for retaining Transfer Windows.
However the balance and composition of these 25 man squads may have to come under scrutiny. Traditionally most clubs have looked at assembling 4 good striking options at a club. For West Ham in particular, especially if we are to play in Europe next season this seems to provide far too restricted options. Imagine the difficulties if our current squad had had to cope with an extended European run
If we retain only 4 strikers, rotation will only become an option if we remain relatively injury free to the extent enjoyed by Tottenham this year. Tottenham’s luck this year is not a reliable guide to future squad stress next year though.
. West Ham will therefore need at least 5 and possibly 6 striking options when assembling their squad next season. A similar rebalancing will have to occur with a strengthening of our midfield options. The conventional wisdom is that Samuelson may replace Moses. If we are in Europe we will require both.
Squads can be strengthened by Academy players and Oxford is an example of where this can work well. The reality though is that we are more likely to find it easier to cover in defensive positions rather than the relatively precious gems of strikers and creative midfielders who require special and rare nurturing.
My recommendations for a successful squad may look lop sided and attacking from a traditional standpoint but may be the only realistic option to enable us to face the tests of the years ahead.
David Griffith