It was all looking up, wasn’t it. A lovely new stadium confirmed and ready, a team coming off one of their best ever seasons, and a talisman cresting off the back of a superb turn in the European Championships. Gaps in the squad were being addressed, if a little laboriously, with a fine £20 million record signing garnished elegantly with a number of frugal free signing acquisitions. A fairly generous path through to the Europa League group stages was on offer, and confidence was high.
Then, in the month or two leading up to the season opener, the potholes started coming into view; Aaron Cresswell was injured in a pre-season friendly, only a few weeks after utility defender James Tomkins was sold to Crystal Palace. Following that, Manuel Lanzini and Sofiane Feghouli were both cut down by knee injuries, keeping them out until September. Finally, half an hour into the opening day loss to Chelsea, record signing Andrew Ayew snapped his hamstring – an injury requiring surgery and a four-month lay-off – and West Ham fans’ hopeful smiles were wiped away by a Diego Costa winner in the 89th minute, some time after he had somehow escaped a second yellow card for planting his studs halfway up Hammers goalkeeper Adrian’s shin.
BREAKING: Sky sources: West Ham's Andre Ayew faces up to four months out with thigh injury: https://t.co/5IqcuhVU0F
— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) August 17, 2016
Tack on a disappointing 1-1 draw away at Romanian club Astra, where at least three golden chances to seal the points were missed, and the on-ramp into the 2016/17 season has turned from a saunter into a bright new future into a slog through a particularly brambly peat bog.
Slaven Bilic has negotiated injury crises before; last season at one point Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini, and a hatful of key defenders were all out at the same time. But this current glut has really poured treacle around the residual momentum from last season, as well as all the confidence gathered in pre-season. Bilic’s pet project, the questionable conversion of Michail Antonio – one of the league’s most promising natural wingers – into an attacking wing-back, has also been exposed as dangerous folly; Antonio gave away the penalty, in farcical fashion, against Chelsea in the opener. The sooner it is scrapped the better. Payet’s extended break following the Euros has also meant the team hasn’t been able to crank into their fluent best, either in pre-season or in these first few competitive matches; the Frenchman, as has been constantly stated since his very first match in claret and clue, is utterly essential to West Ham’s attack.
So, a series of body blows, of cold-water dousings, all highly unwelcome. Bilic mustn’t let this sour the mood to the point where the season begins in a slump; the upcoming game against Bournemouth – one West Ham captain Mark Noble has quite obviously earmarked as one from which the team must take maximum points – has suddenly taken on an air of increased importance. The first home game of the Premier League season, in front of a crowd that is, of course, still supportive of their manager and their players, but is also yearning for a glimpse of that brand of football from last season which was totally absent from the defeat at Chelsea.
There are still bright spots; Arthur Masauku looked assured and capable at left back against Chelsea. Andy Carroll appears to have put his injury woes behind him over the last six months. Small points of light in a shroud of gloom that has descended so suddenly. One can rely on Bilic to rev up his troops, using pure enthusiasm to fling off the wet blanket injuries and poor fortune can accrue. Second-season syndrome is a cliche for a reason, and West Ham can’t let this rough start drag them into it.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
