West Ham United seem to be a shadow of the side who finished seventh in the Premier League last term.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
West Ham fans have had to endure a tumultuous camping thus far, with Slaven Bilic’s men currently sitting in 18th position in the Premier League table after just one win from their opening seven games.
Make no mistake about it, despite there still being 31 games left, the Hammers are in a relegation battle, and any form of complacency, or the belief that they are too good to go down, will only exacerbate their troubles.
A real problem area for West Ham this season has been at right-back. The strange sale of James Tomkins to London rivals Crystal Palace was met with initial frustration from the Hammers faithful, but was eventually accepted when it was explained how the sale was sanctioned to allow youngsters such as Reece Oxford and Reece Burke a clearer path into the first-team.
Bilic has experimented with playing one of the Hammers’ star men Michail Antonio at right-back on numerous occasions, which has had a twin-pronged negative effect.
Firstly, the 26-year-old is far from an accomplished defender, and is prone to making errors due to lack of positional experience in a defensive sense.
Secondly, by playing him there, West Ham lose his attacking threat, which they desperately need, what with the lack of an established goalscorer in the team.
West Ham’s Reece Oxford on the substitutes bench
Oxford meanwhile, has made just two appearances for the Hammers this term – both in their doomed Europa League campaign which ended when they were dumped out at the qualifying stage by Romanian outfit FC Astra.
While Oxford has been looking on, Bilic has used Sam Byram, who looks a long way from being Premier League ready, and Havard Nordtveit, who is quite clearly more comfortable in either central defence or midfield, in the right-back slot.
Although Oxford himself is more comfortable in a central role, the question has to be asked, why is Bilic refusing to give him an opportunity in an area where his side are continually being exposed?
West Ham’s Reece Oxford
With very strong interest in the 17-year-old emanating from both Manchester clubs, the Croatian’s decisions could be driving one of West Ham’s brightest young talents away from the club.
Not playing the talented teenager makes the decision to sell James Tomkins all the more baffling, and something will soon have to give, one way or the other.
With Alvaro Arbeloa now being used as an auxiliary left-back in the absence of Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku, there has never been a better time than now to give Oxford a run in the side.
The next few weeks could be crucial for Slaven Bilic, and how he handles the Reece Oxford situation could prove to be a key contributing factor as to whether or not he can turn things round at West Ham.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
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