Manuel pellegrini
Four games. 2 goals scored. 10 goals conceded. 0 points.
This is the story of West Ham United in the Premier League this season. A person who doesn’t keep close tabs on Premier League transfers might feel this is a usual scenario. Apart from that magical 2015/16 season of Dimitri Payet, West Ham have always been involved in the relegation battle. But this year was not supposed to be like the ones gone by, was it?
After all the problems between the fans and the board last year, the club decided to invest heavily in the transfer market. A plethora of players were brought in but most importantly, a top-class manager was roped in as well. Manuel Pellegrini, the Premier League-winning coach, was entrusted with the job of taking the club forward.
But clearly, things haven’t gone according to the plan. In this modern era of football, most clubs are run by big businessmen who chase instant success. Incidentally, losing first four games was what it took for Frank de Boer to lose his job as Crystal Palace’s manager last season. But the West Ham board should refrain from making that kind of mistake.
In Manuel Pellegrini, West Ham have hired the best manager they have had in many years. He was a Premier League winner with Manchester City and knows the league inside out. The Chilean has also managed Real Madrid and Malaga in the past. He is a huge upgrade to the likes of David Moyes and Slaven Bilic. Unlike his predecessors, Pellegrini sets his team up to play an attacking style of football, which should excite the Hammers supporters.
One thing that the club owners must understand is that spending big money over the summer doesn’t guarantee immediate success. Sometimes, the gaps in the team are so wide that they can’t be covered by cash. And it might take one or two more transfer windows to make West Ham a solid competitor in the league.
Most of the summer recruits have shown flashes of brilliance. But now, the team requires patience from the fans, as well as from owner David Sullivan. After all, these players have arrived from abroad and they need time to gel with their teammates and get used to a new country and a new culture. The manager also needs time to implement his tactics on the new group of players. In fact, his system is completely different from what the likes of Mark Noble, Michail Antonio, Aaron Creswell and other players were used to before.
Moreover, the Premier League fixture list didn’t do any favours for the Londoners by giving them the worst possible start any club could have asked for. They have already faced Liverpool and Arsenal so far and face Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in their next six games.
Read More: 2 things Manuel Pellegrini must do to quickly get West Ham back on track
Since Pellegrini’s arrival at the club, it goes without saying that he had his work cut out for him. The club had just survived relegation by the skin of their teeth. To progress with West Ham, Pellegrini had to bring out his A game. The grind has just begun for him and his coaching staff but at the same time, he will need all the support and love from the fans and the board.
