West Ham: Easing injury list will kick-start Hammers season
West Ham have been one of the biggest disappointments so far this season but the club’s easing injury list will change that.
West Ham United had some high hopes ahead of the new Premier League season. Subsequently, those hopes have gone up in flames. However, the return of some injured first-team players will kick-start the Hammers this month.
Slaven Bilic has been without Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho and Aaron Cresswell for all seven games of the season so far. Andre Ayew was signed in the summer from Swansea City and went down injured in the first game of the season against Chelsea.
All four are scheduled to return to the first team picture this month and boost a struggling Hammers side. Bilic’s team currently sit in the relegation zone in the standings and have won just one game all season.
MUST READ: Depay comments explain why he is United flop
That win was at home to Bournemouth in the club’s first Premier League game at their new stadium. Since then, it’s been a bit of a horror show for everybody involved – four losses and one draw to be exact. 15 goals have been conceded since their sole win, just six scored.
More from The Top Flight
- Barcelona identify Newcastle star as Robert Lewandowski replacement
- Arsenal injury news: Mikel Arteta confirms “rapid” attacker suffered injury
- “600 days” Fans make SHOCK Chelsea revelation – They really are poor
- Arsenal transfer news: Mikel Arteta rivals Manchester United for wonderkid
- Manchester United: Erik ten Hag pinpoints 4 players amid Brighton loss
Bilic spoke in the summer of the team challenging for a Champions League spot if they signed a striker of the highest quality. They didn’t. Now they need to make sure they’re in the Premier League, never mind the Champions League.
The Hammers will be fine in the end, however. The team is low on confidence right now and that will take time to rebuild. But wins soon start to reverse dipping confidence. The return of players not scarred by the opening games of the season will be a bonus, too.
Simone Zaza has struggled to settle as the team’s striker. So much so that winger Michail Antonio stepped in to try his hand up front in place of Zaza against Middlesbrough on Saturday. It didn’t quite work out, but fear not.
Sakha, Carroll and Ayew are all proven in the Premier League. Bilic’s problem is about to go from trying to find a striker, to trying to figure out who to bench and who to start. Bilic also made a change to include Pedro Obiang in the team’s midfield at the weekend. A good move.
That should help with some cover for a creaky defense as time goes by. Luckily, the return of Cresswell will also help that part of the team. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll be better. Thankfully, Dimitri Payet is also still producing his magic higher up the pitch, as he did against Boro.
Next: Premier League starting XI set to be free agents
That always helps. And once the injury list starts clear, a few wins go up on the board, and confidence will soon grow. West Ham will be fine this season. It wont be a year like last year. Far from it.
But Bilic’s team will soon begin to climb the Premier League standings once their injured players return to the fold this month.