As if West Ham’s porous defence wasn’t damaged enough, an injury-stricken strikeforce has only exacerbated the problems.
Chris Sutton has told BBC Radio 5Live (broadcast on Sunday 4 December) that the lack of a fit and firing centre-forward is a major factor in West Ham United’s dismal start to the season.
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic has come under severe pressure from fans and the media with the club dropping to the depths of the Premier League table after just three wins in their opening 14 games of the campaign.
West Ham fell to a new low as they capitulated in the final 20 minutes against an Alexis Sanchez-inspired Arsenal at the London Stadium on Saturday, going on to lose 5-1 in their heaviest defeat of the season so far.
However, one brief crumb of comfort to Hammers fans will be the long-awaited return of Andy Carroll after over three months out of action, the injury-stricken centre-forward nodding in the rebound after Dimitri Payet’s sensational free-kick came off the crossbar late on.
However, if Carroll’s injury record is anything to go by, West Ham are never far away from losing their talismanic target man for another couple of months, a problem exacerbated by the news that Diafra Sakho will be out until the New Year and new signings Simone Zaza, Ashley Fletcher and Jonathan Calleri are yet to find the net in the Premier League.
And Sutton says West Ham’s lack of a goal-scorer has been crucial to their decline, with Bilic’s team averaging just over a goal a game this season.
“Injuries have been a huge problem, they haven’t had a centre forward whose been playing games” Sutton said.
“They have Liverpool next up and then a run of games which are very winnable. I am a big fan of Bilic but you sense a bit of trouble. When a manager has questioned a player’s intensity then it doesn’t look good.”
Carroll was in inspired form at times last season, netting the winner against Chelsea and thumping home a hat-trick against Arsenal.
However, it is fitness, rather than form, that remains an ongoing concern.
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