Blind Hammer thinks that for once Slav selection gamble failed.
West Ham 0-1 Astra Giurgiu (Astra win 2-1 on agg)
You win some and you lose some but losing, for the second year running, against a small Rumanian team with tiny resources is particularly hard to take. Astra, hardly European giants, were admittedly occasionally on the ropes but I personally was filled with pessimism the instant I learnt the line-up.
It is well known that we have an injury crisis in the creative heart of our squad but I was shocked by the team selection. Bilic was at pains to state before the match that he did not want to rely on the away goal and wanted to win the tie outright. However Bilic’s selection revealed a strategy opposite to this avowed intent. Bilic gambled on a safety first approach of protecting the away goal and possibly winning the tie 1-0.
Not just Nordtveit but Obiang and Kouyaté were piled into a midfield three defending a back four of Byran, Reid, Obonna and Burke.
Calleri was left to plough a lone furrow up front, despite not showing any evidence so far that he is able to do this successfully in a side lacking any midfielders with any incisive passing.
Tore and Antonio were expected to provide penetration from the wings, but it is again not at all proven that either of these has the game to do this with a midfield bereft of a killer pass. Antonio in particular seemed to miss the support a Cresswell or even Masuaku.
Bereft of Payet. Lanzini and so on West Ham were always going to have to go back to basics. They had to rely on pace, power and determination. Playing a lone forward in an attempt to not concede is probably acceptable in a premiership game, given our injury straits, paying similar respect to a team who lost 5-1 to CFR Cluj on Sunday is a different matter entirely. For me this game cried out for Calleri to receive support from a second striker, especially in a settling in time when his confidence is probably low after several high profile missed attempts on goal. A game based on power and determination is more likely to require 2 up front. If you are unable to deliver a pass into the penalty area with guile and precision you need to increase your chances by getting more bodies in the box to fight for possession and a possible chance.
Because of this I would have started Calleri with Fletcher and brought Valencia on if this was proven not to be working. The impact that Fletcher made when he came on though, he was one of the few to emerge with credit from the night, made it unlikely that Valencia would have been needed. It is speculation now but I am reasonably convinced that if we had started with both Fletcher and Calleri the leaky Ostra defence would not have been able to cope for 90 minutes and Fletcher in particular would have worn them down. The increased risks of Ostra scoring would have been offset by a team probably capable of scoring more than one goal. The team we saw was unable to score even 1 goal.
It is not at all clear that Calleri is currently an upgrade on Sacko. West Ham should have taken an early lead when Burke controlled a long ball with an exquisite touch before opening up the Ostra defence only for Calleri to fumble another finishing attempt. Calleri is in danger of having a psychological block. If he does not convert one of these chances soon they may mount to create pressure on a young forward.
Personally I would not have played Nordtveit, instead giving his place to Fletcher up front. Nordtveit also it seems has a lot to prove, and there is little evidence that he also is an upgrade on Song. Tore, essentially our replacement for Moses also does not feel you with confidence that he will perform any better.
We have had excellent transfer windows with players hitting the ground running in the last two years. Nordtveit, tore, and Calleri seem to at least need much more time to adjust to the rigours of playing for West Ham. Based on the evidence of the first few weeks we will need very good luck with injuries this season as frankly the squad still lacks depth in Premiership quality, despite summer recruitment.
Of course Slav reverted to 4-4-2 in the second half when Valencia came on. This was obviously his Plan B after conceding a killer goal. My view is that 4-4-2 should have been his opening gambit rather than packing a team with midfield enforces.
If we make it to Wembley in one of the cup competitions tonight will become a fading and irrelevant memory. However for the time being I fear the portents for an injury prone squad liable to Miss Payet, Lanzini, Carroll and Sacko for at least parts of the season. I really hope that they all stay fit but recent evidence appears to indicate otherwise.
I will regain positivity I am sure but tonight it definitely a night for licking wounds.
COYI
David Griffith.