Currently the teams in the bottom three in the Premier League have the worst defensive records, to which this is probably no surprise. From West Ham’s point of view there have been changes in the defensive line-up during the Graham Potter reign at the start of the season and then under Nuno Espirito Santo. It simply has not been settled and this can create huge problems, to which it has. Changing systems has not helped either from a back four to a back three then a back four once again. Also, playing players out of position did not help either in that defensive line. However, things have improved in the last month or so.
A Risky Masterstroke: Hermansen and Disasi Shine Against Burnley
When we were due to play Burnley away, the majority of West Ham fans may have been surprised to see Mads Hermansen in the starting line-up in goal. Most would have said that it was risky for Nuno to do this in such an important game, together with a new centre-back pairing, with the introduction of Axel Disasi, our January loan signing from Chelsea. However, it worked very well. Hermansen grew into the game and appeared to gain some confidence and Disasi looked self-assured and confident in his new surroundings. A 2-0 win and a clean sheet in such an important game was a job well done. Of course, it was Burnley but we had recently been humiliated by a Wolves side sitting at the bottom of the league without a win to their name, until we arrived at Molineux. My point being that no game in football is simple or a guarantee.
Finding a Leader: The Growing Partnership of Disasi and Mavropanos
A home game next at the London Stadium against a rejuvenated Manchester United under Michael Carrick would be on paper a trickier proposition. Although we generally have a good record against Manchester United and there have been plenty of times in my lifetime where we have turned up and given it a real go. Once again, we did and the atmosphere in the stands reflected what was being seen on the pitch. Again, we looked good defensively with the same back five on the pitch. Disasi does have a presence on the pitch I feel and it looks like he and Konstantinos Mavropanos – who deserves credit too – have struck up a good partnership. Disasi could be the leader that we need. He, along with the whole of the team were extremely unlucky to concede so late on after a questionable seven minutes added on, which made Fergie time look short. A 1-1 draw was a good result but a real blow to concede so late on. Defensively though we looked good and steady.
The £40m Dilemma: Max Kilman’s Struggles vs Axel Disasi’s Instant Impact
Obviously in the FA Cup against Burton Albion changes were going to be adopted by Nuno. Changes both in personnel and formation. We did, however, get the job done and again kept a clean sheet, which was also important for now second choice goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. Maximilian Kilman also came back into the starting XI and was part of a team that kept a clean sheet, which has been a long time coming for him personally. I always find it difficult when you see a player playing with a lack of confidence and unfortunately that is what I, (along with so many) have been seeing from Kilman for the majority of his time at West Ham. I think back to a player bringing the ball out of defence and gliding through players, playing a through ball away at Crystal Palace for Jarrod Bowen to go on and score and think to myself, where has that player gone? There is always the mention of the price tag around Kilman but I do feel it is often unfair to blame the player for that as he does not dictate what the club will pay for him but it looks like £40 million was not money well spent. I expect whatever happens at the end of the season, Kilman will be off-loaded at a cut price. Disasi, on the other hand, at the age of 27 and with maybe something to prove, looks like a shrewd signing for us, albeit on loan. I know it is early days but if we were to stay up and Disasi continues to impress in the way he has then it would be good to cash in and bring him to West Ham permanently.
Consistency is Key: Why Nuno Must Stick With His New Back Five
For the third game running in the league, against Bournemouth the same back five was selected and rightly so. Hermansen (now a regular in goal) was looking more and more confident, dealing with some dangerous corners that Bournemouth put into our box as well as making good routine saves. All this will only give him confidence. Nuno also mentioned that he brings the option to play out from the back too which is something Hermansen is good at. The two full-backs to be fair have been fairly consistent anyway and the centre-back pairing of Mavropanos and Disasi looked solid once again in a 0-0 draw. Maybe not the win we were after but the defence looks settled and they got their rewards with another clean sheet. I believe that injuries aside, Nuno needs to keep the back five the same despite the fact that Jean-Clair Todido is now back from suspension. He will now have to earn his place back in the starting line-up as we need leaders out there on the pitch, particularly in defence, and at the moment that is what we appear to have so this needs to continue.
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