Throughout last season, before all of the Lopetegui -inspired nonsense, West Ham suffered from lethargic, lacklustre first half performances. David Moyes couldn’t stop it. The short-lived appointment of Julen Lopetegui exacerbated it.
And Graham Potter is struggling with the same issue: Indeed many feel his defensive first half squad selection is actually contributing to it. Interviewed in whufc.com Potter’s captain Jarrod Bowen alluded to the tentative beginnings and how his team took time to get into the game, by which point they were already behind:
“You come to Anfield, they’re top of the league by ten points, it’s not going to be easy and we suffered with that early on.”
..’As usual’ – regular Hammers watchers this season might add!
“They got the goal and then by the end of the first half, I think we started to play a little bit, got a bit more bravery, a bit more confidence with the ball.”
What is it, I wonder, that is holding the Hammers back, week after week, from starting on the front foot?
Fine at Anfield, As Bowen says the League Champions-in-waiting have a daunting record. But it is seemingly every week that Potter’s West Ham and Lopetegui before him set up to defend and then, after going behind, have a flurry of substitutes and then come out fighting.
It is face-palmingly frustrating (if that is an expression – it is now) to watch week in week out as West Ham start timidly and get punished. It is becoming West Ham’s achilles’ heel: That pesky first half.
Who do you all suggest we use for this attacking football by the way? Kudus and Bowen are probably the only capable and they play the same position?
I suggest we use a Fullkrug for our attacking options in the foreseeable future. Like, he is a centre forward, doh!
I know you have to be a bit more defensive against Liverpool, but most of Potter’s era has been too defensive in the 1st half.
At Anfield for example, why didn’t FÜLLKRUG start, and Bowen play in his default position? How are we supposed to play offensively without an actual striker on the pitch?
So you didn’t watch the the Bournemouth game last week then?
I did watch it, thanks. We conceded first, as usual, then we were in front 2-1. And, as usual, we could not hold on to a lead.
Lopetegui was often described as the Spanish Moyes. You could say that Potter is becoming the English Lopetegui.
‘Pottegui’ has been unable to keep the Wolves from the door after they had been knocking on it for the last few weeks. Now they have taken up residence in 16th place and don’t look like leaving in a hurry, leaving West Ham in 17th.
Our apparently intelligent academic coach has commited to selecting a starting eleven to defend in the first half of games without having much, if any, attacking threat. Although there has been a dramatic decline in goals conceded, this negative approach inevitably falls short and we then have to make wholesale changes to play catch-up and try to recover from a one or two goal first half deficit. This ‘masterplan’ often brings a significant improvement in our performance and goal threat but unfortunately the damage is usually done by then and we have failed to register a win this season after going behind. So why not start on the front foot? Because when we offer no goal threat from the start then the opposition has no fear of going all out attack against us.
Will we continue with this gutless approach when starting our next game against Southampton or will we rise to the challenge of winning for the first time since the end of February? Come On You Irons!
Been arguing about this very subject with a few people on another hammers chat site. Why are we waiting until the second half or until we are losing until we start to play. The low-block yesterday would have had Moyes beaming with pride. With nothing to play for and no real threat of relegation why does he (Potter) persist with this plan ? It must be so tiring for the defenders and completely nonsensical. He has to go for it next week against Sotton. No more of this over cautious approach please………
Just a reminder, Liverpool had already stuck 10 goals past West Ham this season, prior to Sunday,
We can only speculate on what might have happened had West Ham gone out ‘all guns blazing’ attacking football.