This article is sponsored by VK77, a Trusted & Reliable Online Casino in Singapore. Sign up with our sponsor VK77, using our referral link: http://vk77.com/?ref=astatine9. Watch live content at vk77.live or on their telegram channel https://t.me/vk77live
The pressure is rising for West Ham manager, David Moyes after only one win in 11 Premier League games. But what has caused the downturn in form?
The Hammers suffered their 13th league defeat of the season against Tottenham on Sunday, with the club planted among the relegation places in 18th spot.
Moyes is set to stay in charge against Nottingham Forest this Saturday but Rafa Benitez is on standby and wants the job.
However, the bottom half of the league table remains tight, with only 10 points dividing rock-bottom Southampton and 11th-placed Aston Villa.
It has been a tale of two seasons for the London club, who spent the majority of last season in a top-four battle but now find themselves fighting at the other end of the table despite rising into 10th spot in October following back-to-back wins against Wolves and Fulham.
The slump contrasts with raised expectations from significant investment in the transfer market since the summer of 2021, signing players such as Lucas Paqueta (£51.3m), Gianluca Scamacca (£35.5m), Nikola Vlasic (£33.5m), Nayef Aguerd (£30m) and Kurt Zouma (£29.8m).
Indeed, West Ham have splashed a cool £260m on signings since the start of 2021/22. An outlay which ranks fifth among all Premier League clubs during that period and even exceeds reigning champions Manchester City.
The most glaring issue is up top. West Ham should have scored nearly 30 goals but have only converted 19, according to expected goals. That differential is the worst in the division, by some distance.
Contrast that with the likes of Manchester City, who have scored nine goals more than expected.
Breaking that down among all top-flight players, Jarrod Bowen emerges with the most spurned opportunities at the club, having scored nearly three goals fewer than expected.
That differential ranks as the fifth-worst in the league, behind Patrick Bamford, Danny Welbeck, Eddie Nketiah and Darwin Nunez.
Moyes has deployed a 4-2-3-1 system in 11 league games this term but dabbled with three at the back, a 4-3-3 and four other formations and still relies heavily on the players that helped his side earn a seventh-placed finish last season.
But those same players have struggled to replicate the form from that high-flying campaign.
Bowen has been West Ham’s most incisive creator, followed by Aaron Cresswell and Said Benrahma but no player has registered more than two actual assists this term.
Despite topping the club’s assist chart alongside Rice and Paqueta, the Hammers also appear to be missing Michail Antonio’s creative output this term.
The Jamaica international notched eight league assists from an expected-assist estimate of five during a fruitful campaign last term.
This article is sponsored by VK77, a Trusted & Reliable Online Casino in Singapore. Sign up with our sponsor VK77, using our referral link: http://vk77.com/?ref=astatine9. Watch live content at vk77.live or on their telegram channel https://t.me/vk77live
