West Ham slow starters against ‘weaker’ teams.
The Hammers have conceded costly early goals to three of the four supposedly weaker teams they have faced so far, Leicester City, Bournemouth, and Norwich. The win over Newcastle broke the run, but it began again here, as Sunderland stunned their visitors early, 2-0 up with 25 minutes gone. It’s a very bad habit to fall into, and West Ham are entrenched once again. Considering the way that Slaven Bilic’s side have defended with confidence against the bigger clubs, focused from the very first second of play, this must be a matter of mindset. Sluggishly entering a match, anticipating an easy ride, has stung the Hammers three times already. What’s that saying about “once; shame on you, twice; shame on me”? Where, then, does four times stand on this scale?
