So much is made these days of managerial playing styles that the managers tend to have more identity than clubs do. A new manager equals a new identity, and coaching staff change wholesale as owners try to buy in what worked elsewhere, regardless of the players at their disposal.
The Tactical Versatility of Graham Potter
Operating under Sullivan’s scattershot recruitment strategies, it should hopefully be a blessing that Potter’s known for being tactically versatile and not wedded to one particular formation. At Brighton and Chelsea he would switch between a back-three and a back-four, a tactic also adopted by Moyes with varying degrees of success.
Crucial to many modern systems is the role of full-back. Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool has gone a long way to redefining the role of right-back, with a greater emphasis on creation than protection. However, put Trent beside Mavropanos or feeding a non-existent West Ham attack and watch his reputation nosedive.
Beyond the “George and Ringo” Era
During the high points of Moyes’s reign, Coufal and Cresswell were effective at patrolling their respective channels, defensively well-drilled while also offering traditional support to wingers and clocking up an impressive number of assists between them. Solid team players, the equivalent of George and Ringo to TAA and Andrew Robertson’s more widely acclaimed Lennon and McCartney double-act.
Though both remain part of the scene in Stratford, it’s fair to say that Aaron (35) and Vlad (32) are not the future under Potter, especially if he were to deploy high-energy wing-backs in the mould of Tariq Lamptey and Marc Cucurella. From the current squad, Emerson and Wan-Bissaka are the natural contenders to fill these berths.
The Emerson and Wan-Bissaka Dilemma
In Emerson’s case, there have long been question marks over his defensive work and a wing-back role would seem to suit the Italian, though playing in a back-four didn’t stop him winning the 2020 Euros at England’s expense. Bigger question marks might be his energy as he turns 31 before the start of next season and whether or not he wants to stay in east London.
Wan-Bissaka hit a purple patch in November with two goals in two games, but that doubled his career tally and his forward forays are not renowned for any end product. During his time at Man United, I maintained that he was ripe for becoming a converted centre-back. His occasionally iffy positioning casts doubt on that, although I still think he could prosper in a back-three.
The Three-at-the-Back Experiment
And let’s face it, if Potter were to deploy a back-three and wing-backs, then filling out that defensive trio is probably even more problematic than who’s bombing up and down the wings. Kilman, Todibo and AWB potentially have the attributes of a fruitful alliance, but that leaves little in reserve.
It also leaves a gap on the right. TalkSport’s Adrian Durham recently inflamed the fanbase by opining that Bowen was wasted as ‘basically an auxiliary full-back’. Without wishing to add fuel to the flames, he has a point that Jarrod is a workhorse who’s been regularly pinned back by defensive, low-block tactics. Such performances suggest he’d actually make a damn fine wing-back, but we’d rather have him unleashed offensively.
Youth Prospects and the Rise of Ollie Scarles
I’m all for ‘thinking outside the box’ but some of us are still traumatised by Bilić’s experiment with Antonio at right-back, so let’s trust that Potter won’t look at our most productive player and prize his industry over his attacking instincts. Looking to youth offers other possibilities, particularly on the left, where Ollie Scarles looks best placed to make the leap from Academy prospect to first team.
The man-of-the-match award ITV bestowed on him in our FA Cup defeat to Villa smacked of charity, but contributors to last year’s Inside the Academy were unanimous in designating him the youngster most likely to succeed. The youngster needs a run of games to grow into top-flight football, so it was slightly disconcerting that Cresswell and Emerson were both preferred in the next two matches, although Potter is generally regarded as a good man-manager so let’s hope it had more to do with playing the long game and keeping Scarles’ feet on the ground.
Building a New West Ham Identity
It was only in the last issue that I bemoaned Lopetegui’s inability to get the best out of a single player, never mind a tune out of the whole team. The identity of Lopetegui’s West Ham never became apparent. A brief consideration of the defensive unit, ignoring the deficiencies either side of it in goal and in midfield, suggests that it will take time and at least a couple of transfer windows for Potter’s ideas to take shape.
Moyes was undoubtedly successful at forging a team in his own image; it’s just a shame it stood in contrast to the fêted West Ham Way. For the rest of this season, Potter almost has carte blanche to experiment and assess what he’s inherited, but it’s imperative that an identity more to the fans’ liking emerges before the end of 2025.
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