Let’s get one thing straight before we all get depressed. It is no disgrace to lose 2-1 to Chelsea and 3-1 to Manchester City. Today could have been a cricket score. We were 2-0 down before 20 minutes had passed and we all feared a tonking. However, we applied ourselves, showed some grit and after Antonio scored Manchester City were rather unsettled. It’s true we didn’t really deserve anything from the game, but Manchester City on this kind of form would beat most teams. So…
1. The 5-3-2 formation didn’t really work, so credit to Bilic for changing it.
2. Yet again Antonio demonstrated he is not a defender. Even in a wing back role, he just didn’t appear comfortable defensively.
3. Antonio took his goal really well. Most of his goals seem to be headers at the right post.
4. Ashley Fletcher didn’t get in the game too much, yet he showed enough to suggest that he’s the real deal.
5. This will hopefully be the last time we see Valencia in a West Ham shirt. He’s done nothing in any game so far this season to suggest he should be retained. Pity, but there we go…
6. For the fifth game in a row, Gorkan Tore showed nothing. Yet again, all he did was give the ball away constantly. Come back Feghouli…
7. Kouyate was strangely quiet and uninvolved. Odd.
8. This game seemed made for a midfield three of Noble, Kouyate and Obiang. Bizarre that Obiang didn’t start IMHO.
9. Good to see Lanzini back in a Hammers shirt.
10. Calleri needs a goal. Nothing’s going right for him, yet I think there’s a goalscorer there bursting to get out.
UPDATE: Worth remembering…
WHU last season:
Lost to Astra
Won 1 & lost 2 of first 3 games
Came 7th
WHU this season:
Lost to Astra
Won 1 & lost 2 of first 3 games— West Ham Central (@WestHam_Central) August 28, 2016