West Ham have struggled so far this season. How much better off were they at the same stage last season?
After the highs of last season where West Ham enjoyed a terrific campaign, it has been a bit more difficult for Slaven Bilic in his second season as manager of the Hammers.
Several reasons have been cited for that, none more so than the transition in terms of their home ground as they moved into the Olympic/London Stadium in the summer.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
Some would suggest that they have struggled with injuries, others would say they just didn’t buy well enough in the summer to try and build on last season’s seventh-place finish.
How does start of this season compare to last season?
West Ham first 11 games 2015/16:
| Points | Goals | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheet | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham | 20 | 22 | 15 | 3 | 11 |
West Ham first 11 games 2016/17:
| Points | Goals | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheet | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham | 11 | 11 | 20 | 3 | 11 |
Obviously the big stand-out is that Bilic’s side are nine points worse off, and as a result they are just the one place above the relegation zone – though they have shown some improvement of late having taken seven points from their last four league games.
The intriguing thing is the side’s clean sheet tally is similar, and although they have been leaking goals a little more than last season, it must be stated that last season’s tally at the same stage isn’t exactly small.
West Ham’s Adrian in action before Stoke scored their first goal
But the Hammers have only managed to score half as many goals at this stage of the season. Last year they were averaging two goals per game which was allowing them to go to places like the Emirates Stadium, Anfield and the Etihad Stadium and come away with wins.
It has been more of a struggle this season as their strikers haven’t found the net – hence their position one point above the relegation zone.
If your side is not going to score many goals then you have to tighten up at the back. The worrying thing for West Ham is as goals have dried up at one end, they’re leaking at the other.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
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