West Ham are currently 17th in the table after eight games.
Sky Sports Soccer Saturday pundit Phil Thompson has criticised West Ham’s players, saying that they have not worked hard enough this season.
The Hammers have endured a disastrous start to the campaign, picking up just two wins from their first eight games.
They improved on Saturday afternoon as they secured a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Despite the result being a positive one for them, they are still only a point outside out the relegation zone.
Several factors have been cited as potential causes for their poor start, including their move to the London Stadium.
Speaking before the win over Palace, Thompson said he believes the issue is actually on the pitch because the players are not working hard enough.
“I’m listening to Mark Noble saying people say they’re not working hard enough and I think that is the big issue with this West Ham side,” he told Sky Sports.
“I see the players out there and there’s just not that extra effort. Yes, they care and they worry about getting beat all the time but now they are feeling that extra pressure.”
The former Liverpool man has also criticised the Hammers for their over-reliance on star man Dimitri Payet. The midfielder has had a slow start to the season after his heroics for France at Euro 2016.
He was in fine form before the international break, scoring a superb solo goal to seal a draw from the game with Middlesbrough.
It was not the first time he has saved the Hammers and Thompson says his brilliance means some other players are not standing up.
“There’s not enough effort going in all around and they keep thinking ‘we’ve got Payet there, he’ll get us out of a hole,” he added.
“You can’t keep going to the well all the time, you have to look at other players standing up. Too many players are on easy street.”
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