Six defenders missing.
At no point during this 2015/16 season have West Ham been fully fit. Alex Song began the campaign laid off with a long term knock, and Andy Carroll also started the season convalescing. Then, one by one, the entire first choice attacking unit went down injured. As Payet returned, Lanzini was reinjured, then Diafra Sakho. Now, the defensive plague is in full flight, with six defenders out injured or suspended – Reid, Collins, Tomkins, Jenkinson, Byram, O’Brien, for those interested. Add in Victor Moses, and the depth of this glut sinks even further.
As such, this unusual wing-back system, with youngster Reece Oxford and midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate playing as part of a back three, reappeared against Everton. Oxford looks an incredibly promising talent, all length and elegance and good decisions. But his green horns were exposed by a wily, brawny Lukaku moment; Oxford thought he had the Everton striker checked, but the Belgian swung around with irresistible torque, and Oxford was sort of squeezed out of contention. The finish was equally ruthless, and Everton led. Oxford brushed off the mini-defeat, but here the shortage of experienced bodies at the back was exposed.
