West Ham’s Season To Date Should Terrify their Championship Competitors – Here’s Why

West Ham can only be described as the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde side this season. On paper, a 2-2 draw against Millwall was a respectable result, but the first-half performance was nothing short of embarrassing.

The statistics make for grim reading. The Hammers failed to register a single shot on target, produced an xG of just 0.06, managed only five touches inside the Millwall penalty area, and did not win a single corner. Meanwhile, the hosts racked up 16 shots, six on target, and an xG of 2.54. Remarkably, West Ham still enjoyed 67% possession, proving that dominating the ball means very little without purpose.

Everything changed after the break.

It finally looked as though the Hammers remembered they were involved in a London derby against one of their oldest rivals. The intensity levels rose dramatically, with Nuno’s substitutions proving pivotal. The introductions of Kante and Pablo injected energy and urgency into a side that had looked completely lifeless during the opening 45 minutes.

Pablo almost made an immediate impact when his close-range header from a Bowen delivery was brilliantly saved by Marschall. West Ham’s pressure continued to build, and eventually Kante and Mavropanos came to the rescue, helping salvage a point that had looked highly unlikely at half-time.

The turnaround was reflected in the numbers. West Ham fired 14 second-half shots and registered six efforts on target, a night-and-day improvement from the dreadful showing before the interval.

Unfortunately, this was far from an isolated incident.

Earlier in the campaign at Vicarage Road, Nuno’s side somehow escaped with a point despite failing to register a shot on target in the first half. Their goal arrived courtesy of an own goal, and they managed just one effort on target during the entire match.

Yet there is another side to the story.

Despite their inconsistent displays, West Ham remain unbeaten away from home, sit in the automatic promotion places, and have scored an impressive 22 goals in just eight games, meaning an average of 2.75 goals per game. Even their sole defeat against Charlton could easily have ended differently had Taty Castellanos converted his late penalty.

Perhaps the most frightening aspect for the rest of the division is that this team still appears to be operating below full capacity. Aside from the Wrexham match, West Ham look as though they are cruising in second gear and, if they ever put together a complete 90-minute performance, they could, in my opinion simply run away with the league.

However, one glaring concern continues to hold them back.

The defence remains a major weakness. Eleven goals conceded already is a worrying return for a side expected to dominate the division. That current run rate projected over 46 games would equate to conceding 63 goals! Given Nuno’s reputation as a coach who builds from defensive solidity, the fragility at the back is both surprising and concerning. Unless that issue is addressed, West Ham’s promotion bid may become far more difficult than it should be.

We now have the international break to relax, digest and prepare. Though some of Nuno’s squad will be away with their respective international teams. It’s a long season, next up is QPR under the floodlights at the London stadium on Friday October 9th! COYI!