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West Ham are not a bad side, not by any means. They possess talent in their squad, and determination. You can see it in every tackle, each exhausting sprint and in the frustrated body language when a ball fails to connect. That energy is matched on the sideline, with Rehanne Skinner animated throughout their 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa – “hold the line”, “tighten up”, “communicate” and “Fion can’t get out” were part of the many commands from the dugout, as spectators behind the bench treated to the thoughts of the coach while the action is under way. The coach is fully involved, she is engaged, the players are committed, so what is not working?

Concerning Statistics Reveal the Tale

After five matches and they have no points, have let in 16 goals and scored only two. They can score though, five different goal scorers in a rout of Charlton in the League Cup on 24 September a brief respite from defeat before Chelsea put three past them in 15 minutes last Sunday to put them firmly back in their position. Facing Chelsea the Hammers weren’t bad throughout, that quarter-hour calamitous spell was an outlier and, while supporters worried about a total second half meltdown, they regrouped, thrived with their under pressure, and let in just one additional goal to the champions.

Consistency over 90-plus has been a consistent problem. The first five minutes and second half versus the Blues were spells to be proud of, as was the opening 45 against Arsenal and closing 45 facing the Seagulls.

Familiar Story Versus the Opponents

In the match with Villa the narrative was familiar, the visiting team controlling the ball in Dagenham but the Hammers having chances too, nine shots to Villa’s 11. They competed in the opening period, competing, playing well enough to be able to earn a result from the match, the distinction though was that the home side had only a single shot on target, as compared to Villa’s four.

The team are not being let down by their style, determination or coaching choices, they are failing by individuals lacking composure when they find good positions. This is that decision making in the final third that requires improvement, the five goals netted versus lower-league opponents Charlton may indicate the problem: when they have space and time they make the right moves, when they are under pressure and harried by WSL-level opposition it’s almost as if they find it hard to think quickly enough.

“I don’t think we were clinical enough in the final third and we just were missing that decisive quality where the final ball was at times a bit too strong, lacking the necessary precision and then just needing to attempt efforts a little bit earlier,” stated the manager.

“Considering the players, when I’m watching them one by one, it seems like they’re somewhat reluctant compared to where we were previously. The willingness to take on defenders and be quite assertive was extremely high and we just need to get that aggression back where we’re a little bit more clinical in and around the box, where we are a bit braver to go 1v1 and where what will be will be but we’re sending attackers forward and we’re attempting to create opportunities. That’s something that we’ve just somewhat taken our foot off the gas a bit on and we’re looking for passes as opposed to being a more direct and being more self-assured in our own ability.”

Expensive Instances Result in Defeat

On Sunday afternoon that was costly again. Shortly after a forward directed a header wide, they were punished at the other end, Kirsty Hanson receiving her short corner back from a teammate before driving the ball into the opposite side. Seven minutes later and Natalia Arroyo’s side had a larger lead, a player’s free-kick lobbed over the defensive line and in.

This proved a further tough afternoon for the Hammers and their absence of points on the board will certainly prompt doubts arising about the manager’s position. This is wholly unjust though. There is improvement to be made for sure, self-belief and quickness in decision making needs to get better, and the squad must take some responsibility for that, but they are a team that is struggling from a lack of love and care from the organization as a entirety, and the coach is a victim of that as opposed to the cause of the team’s problems.

Broader Issues at Play

During the off-season, nine players left and only four came in. The quality of those coming in in this window was possibly better in general, but a limited funds has resulted in that season-on-season West Ham have lost their best players to more successful sides. Prior to doubts are asked about the manager’s reign, she merits a opportunity to show what she can do without constraints and that requires the club upping its game – and the identical applies for a number of women’s top-flight teams.