Winless West Ham sit bottom of the league without scoring
Welcome back to Woz's Football Factory. In this article, I will discuss why West Ham have had a poor start in the league, and how important pressing is in the modern game.
Several teams have had a rocky start to the Premier League season. This is nothing new, but he calibre of teams in the bottom half makes for interesting reading. Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Leicester City are among the league's strugglers. Propping them up is West Ham United, a team yet to score a goal in the Premier League.
The Pressing Game
On paper, football is a simple game. Pass the football and score. That's easier said than done, especially when teams press all over the park. In years gone by when the tempo was tepid, defenders would pass the ball back to the keeper and the attack would drop into midfield.
The modern game has seen innovations such as Gegenpressing - or counter pressing. Several Bundesliga clubs adopted the tactic, including Schalke and Hannover 96. Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool are relentless at pressing in all areas of the pitch. No longer does a goalkeeper have time to think with the ball at his feet without fear of a forward closing him down at speed.
Barcelona and Spain optimised ball possession. Spain won back-to-back to European Championships in 2008 and 2012, sandwiched in the middle was a World Cup win. Los Rojas dominated play with the flamboyance of Xavi, Iniesta, and Xabi Alonso in midfield.
Creating turnovers is the only way to kill the momentum of a team dominating possession. Often teams without the ball chase shadows, wasting energy while losing composure. Endurance is vital in the modern game, especially in the Premier League, where both the tempo and quality is high.
Pressing is the most effective way to create turnovers. A player trying to win the ball back has to ask whether he can unsettle the ball carrier. Some players have a knack of retaining possession and getting out of trouble. Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are excellent examples of players who the opposition paid attention to because of their ability to carry the ball and play killer passes.
Liverpool often play with a 4-3-3, meaning Jürgen Klopp will not sacrifice a forward to pack out the midfield. Instead, Liverpool's front three drop back into midfield, and deeper if needed to help the team win the ball back.
Newcastle and Leeds gave an exemplary demonstration of pressing In Week 3 of this season. Both teams faced quality opposition in Man City and Chelsea, respectively. Neither side lost, and Leeds won the Woz's Football Factory Team of the Week for their 3-0 demolition of Chelsea. This brings us on to West Ham's pressing, or lack of it.
West Ham Rank 20th in Passes Allowed Per Defensive Action (PPDA)
Defensive actions are defined events;
Tackles
Interceptions
Challenges
Fouls
Opta's Zones of Control breaks down the pitch into 30 areas. With West Ham, the opposition has controlled 18 of those zones (team gains over 55% of touches), with six categorised as contest. Of the six areas of the pitch controlled by West Ham, five are on the flanks with one central zone, just outside West Ham's penalty area.
Of the six areas of the pitch controlled by West Ham, five are on the flanks and one zone is central, just outside West Ham's penalty area.
The Hammers' PPDA is 21.4, the lowest metric in the league. It means the David Moyes's side are not pressing and therefore unable to the ball over efficiently. In comparison, Chelsea and Liverpool lead the way with PPDAs of 6.9 and 7.7 respectively. Newcastle lead the way with 42 high turnovers. Only Bournemouth (14) have fewer high turnovers than West Ham (17).
A lack of possession means a lack of goals. Of all 20 league teams, West Ham rank 18th in XG (expected goals) in open play -1.61.
Declan Rice, Kurt Zouma and Tomás Soucek have each played every minute of West Ham's league season (270 minutes). Each player has averaged over 10 meters per carry without creating a single chance. Rice has had 13 carries, Zouma 8 and Soucek 4. West Ham's problems run deep and either David Moyes needs reinforcements, or he needs to alter his tactics.
Stats don't lie, and they are a good indicator of how a team is performing. During Arsenal's 3-0 win at Bournemouth, William Saliba completed 100% of his 73 passes. Rice leads the Hammers in total passes made (155). Moyes can't expect his skipper to carry the team for the entire season. Reinforcements could be on the way to East London.
Lucas Paqueta inbound to West Ham
Per David Ornstein of the Athletic, The Hammers have agreed a deal to bring Lyon's Lucas Paqueta to the club. Paqueta is an established Brazil international, and he becomes the 8th signing for the club this summer. In 161 minutes of play for Lyon, Paqueta created three chances, averaging 22 carries per 90 minutes.
The gulf in class between Ligue 1 and the Premier League is wide and Paqueta will have to adapt to the English game quickly. West Ham travel to Aston Villa on Sunday. Steven Gerrard's team have conceded six goals in three games. If West Ham can't score tomorrow, then they really are in trouble.
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*Stats via Opta