Pellegrini admits it was a “disaster”

“I changed three players because I could only make three changes. I could have changed all the players.”

Manuel Pellegrini

No mincing of words, no excuses but at the end of the day Manuel Pellegrini’s words simply don’t help.

He has come in for criticism for his starting X1 and there can be little doubt that had we seen our regular X1 on the pitch from the start, the outcome would almost certainly have been entirely different.

Instead we perhaps thought we should and could have got away with it but against a wound up Wimbledon threatening from the start we were always in trouble.

Declan Rice’s absence’s may have been particularly significant because he would surely have cut out many of the moves which were coming in waves throughout.

hat never happened at all last night and the third goal was the killer. The Hammers were much better after that but once again the slow starting situation which was a problem since Bilic remained unaddressed. It has to be sorted.

Said the manager: “Maybe we thought we were going to win because we are a Premier League team and they are in League One, but Wimbledon played with the desire to compete in this cup. In the first 45 minutes, we didn’t fight.

“We talked before the game that this game happens a lot of time where the team in the lower division beats the team which is better because they play every ball as if it is their last ball of the game. We didn’t have that attitude and when we could, we didn’t try.

“The pace of the game, the way we fought for every ball and the way we made movements to receive the ball were disappointing. I changed three players because I could only make three changes. I could have changed all the players.

“Unfortunately for us, they scored their third goal in the first or second minute of the second half, which made it very difficult.

“I repeat, we found a team which played every ball as if it was a final for them. I don’t think they play like this in every game in their league but we know, in the cup, the weaker team can play as if this is a final.

“It’s very frustrating because you can be eliminated, but not in the way we were. It’s a disaster.”