Defeat to Villa Reveals Struggling West Ham’s Shortage of Clinical Goal-Scoring

The Hammers cannot be considered a poor team, not by any means. They possess talent in their squad, and desire. You can see it in every tackle, every gut-busting run and in the disappointed gestures when a pass fails to connect. That energy is matched on the sideline, with the manager animated during their 2-0 defeat to the visitors – “maintain shape”, “tighten up”, “communicate” and “Fion can’t get out” were part of the numerous instructions from the technical area, with those behind the dugout hearing the views of the coach while the match is in progress. Skinner is in it, she is focused, the squad are engaged, so where is the issue?

Worrying Numbers Tell the Tale

Five games in and they have zero points, have conceded 16 goals and netted only two. They can score though, five different goal scorers in a 5-1 defeat of their opponents in the League Cup on 24 September a momentary relief from defeat before the Blues put three past them in 15 minutes last Sunday to return them in their position. Facing Chelsea the Hammers weren’t bad for large parts, that 15 minute calamitous spell was an exception and, while supporters worried about a complete second half meltdown, they recovered, excelled with their backs against the wall, and let in just one additional goal to the champions.

Consistency over a full match has been a ongoing problem. The opening stages and after halftime versus the Blues were spells to be pleased with, as was the opening 45 against Arsenal and second period against Brighton.

Familiar Pattern Versus the Opponents

In the match with Villa the narrative was repeated, the visiting team controlling the ball in their home ground but West Ham creating opportunities too, nine shots to Villa’s 11. They were in it in the first half, challenging, playing well enough to be able to earn a result from the game, the difference though was that West Ham had only a single shot on target, as opposed to Villa’s four.

The team are not failing by their style, determination or managerial decisions, they are being let down by individuals lacking composure when they get in good positions. It is that choice-making in the final third that needs work, the five goals scored versus WSL2 side their cup foes perhaps points to the problem: when they have time on the ball they make the right moves, when they are being pressed and challenged by top-tier rivals it’s as though they struggle to think quickly enough.

“In my view we were clinical enough in the attacking area and we just lacked that decisive quality where the final ball was at times a bit too strong, lacking the necessary precision and then just needing to take on shots a little bit earlier,” said the manager.

“Considering the players, when I observe them one by one, I just feel like they’re somewhat reluctant relative to where we were previously. The willingness to run at people and be quite assertive was really, really strong and we just must restore that fight back where we’re a little bit more ruthless in and around the box, where we are more courageous to go one-on-one and where what will be will be but we’re sending attackers forward and we’re trying to generate chances. This is an area that we’ve just sort of eased up a little bit on and we’re looking for passes as opposed to being a little bit more direct and being a bit more self-assured in our own ability.”

Expensive Moments Result in Defeat

On Sunday afternoon that was costly again. Moments after Viviane Asseyi glanced a header off target, they were punished at the other end, Kirsty Hanson receiving her short corner back from a teammate before driving the ball into the far corner. Seven minutes later and Natalia Arroyo’s side had a bigger cushion, a player’s free-kick lobbed over the wall and in.

It was another difficult day for West Ham and their absence of points on the board will certainly lead to doubts arising about the manager’s position. This is completely unjust though. Much improvement to be made for sure, self-belief and quickness in choices needs to get better, and the players must take some responsibility for that, but they are a side that is struggling from a shortage of support and attention from the organization as a entirety, and the coach is a casualty of that rather than the cause of the team’s problems.

Wider Issues at Play

During the off-season, nine players departed and just a handful arrived. The standard of those coming in in this window was possibly better overall, but a limited funds has resulted in that season-on-season the club have lost their best players to better teams. Prior to doubts are asked about the manager’s reign, she merits a opportunity to demonstrate what she can do unhindered and that means the team improving its support – and the same could be said for several women’s top-flight clubs.