Cheik Kouyate joined Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell on the injury list in training on Friday after suffering a slight injury.
However, all three players – who have issues in the groin area – are expected to be back in action next weekend for the crucial trip to Liverpool as the manager comes under more and more pressure.
ClaretandHugh was told this evening that Kouyate’s scan – like the other two – showed nothing but with all three feeling some discomfort the decision was made to leave them out of the Arsenal game this evening.
James Collins is under the medics to diagnose the full extent of his injury after five minutes of today’s game.
We were told by a club insider that Kouyate’s problem was causing him some pain and that the medics decided a couple of days rest would likely solve the problem given the negative scan.
He said: “Aaron and Michail will also be back for the Liverpool game along with Cheik but you have to have some sympathy for the manager to be hit with those and James Collins’ just a few minutes into the game against a very high quality team indeed.”
The board need to back Slav 100% and release decent funds to buy some quality players in January.We have a very good starting 11 as proved last season.Alas this season we have been crippled by injuries to all our key players throughout the season which means there has not been a settled team at all so far and unfortunately the backup players are simply not good enough.Keep the faith Hammers fans.After next weeks game at Liverpool we have 4 winnable games and we just need some luck to get injured players back and playing regularly like last season.
Sorry mate, but I beg to disagree on an immediate sacking..
Sure there are some very serious problems, particularly with 8-9 injuries to top players.
Slav needs to:
1) settle on a decent formation which gives us better options in attack, while improving the back-line. Until we get some new players in January, I’d use a 4-4-2. It is important that Slav does not change formations half-way during a game due to his own uncertainties..
2) get players back into their best positions; Kouyate belongs in the midfield, and Antonio should be playing on the wing or as a striker.
3) we must, and I say must, get a specialist right back, and at least 1-2 quality strikers in the January Transfer Period. Looking at overseas options at this stage of the season may not be the best approach, given the small amount of time that players will have to settle in. The Championship may be one of the better places to find what we are looking for.
If by round 22 we have not attained 28-29 points,and without obvious signs of improvement, then I’d consider looking for a new manager, but not now.
The four games which follow the Liverpool game (which I expect us to lose), may also be useful in gaining further insight to the complex reasons for our miserable state of affairs
However, this is all part and parcel of being a long-time West Ham supporter; I’m still optimistic that if all the three factors I have identified above, are correctly addressed. then we could still finish as high as 8-15th position..
COYI
I think that the return of Antonio, Cresswell, and Kouyate, could make a big difference, but it also depends on the other players as well;they must learn how to fight for the ball, and then do something decent with it. Payet and Lanzini are both being placed to far out on the wings; it means that they have to beat 4-5 players in order to get access to our forward. They should be bot used as attacking midfielders, with a more central location. Payet should ideally be positioned just behind the 2 strikers (yes, we definitely should be playing with more than a single lone-wolf striker!). At the moment, I’d like to see Ayew and Fletcher starting out in a 4-4-2, until Sakho returns.
I wish Valencia was still with us rather than Zaza and Tomkins is missed as well.
Making changes and bringing in new players is more difficult to manage than working with the players you have to get them all on the same page and working as a team.
You don’t change managers mid season unless you want to leave the EPL.
Groin injuries are always difficult to heal and these players may be in and out all season with strains not taking too much to recurr. Its not about one or two players, its about building a team mindset and Bilic can see the problem is in the players heads. They can’t switch off half way through a game for even a second.
Hard work brings wins and winning becomes a habit.