Surely the positioning of full-backs is not enough to explain West Ham’s all round failings this season?
West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku says he and his team-mates cannot use a change in system as an excuse as they have struggled with both four and three man defensive set ups this season, the club’s official website reports.
The Hammers finished an impressive seventh last season in a campaign in which they frequently bloodied the noses of the big boys, picking up famous wins away at Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, but things could not be more different this time around.
As is stands, West Ham are only one point above the relegation zone following their capitulation at home against Arsenal on Saturday, with manager Slaven Bilic coming under fire for failing to organise his defence with any success.
The capital club have shifted between an orthodox four-man defence and a back-three, often with Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell as wing-backs, but Masuaku insists the players cannot use a simple change in formation as an excuse for their dismal performances.
“We cannot use the change in system as an excuse for the result as we have played with both a back four and a back five. We simply need to show better concentration,” the summer signing from Olympakos told the club’s official website.
“The defeat against Arsenal on Saturday was not easy and it was a big defeat for us to handle.
“Since the beginning of the season we have been enduring a difficult spell but we simply need to keep working hard to change things.”
West Ham’s testing period does not get any easier with a trip to Liverpool on the horizon but home games against Burnley and Hull City could prove decisive in their season – who would have thought that back in June?
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