By Conor Hogan
**West Ham lost 3–2 to Chelsea at the weekend and, as usual, the Hammers were undone by their inability to effectively defend crosses.**
Headers from João Pedro and Marc Cucurella were followed by an Enzo Fernández winner as the Irons threw away a crucial 2–0 lead. As has so often been the case for Nuno’s side this season, West Ham were thwarted by crosses – an issue in their defensive game that they just can’t seem to resolve.
Many fans will probably point the finger at the Irons’ centre-backs in these situations – and although Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman are far from blameless, the former duo have also won a lot of aerial duels and have exhibited greater aerial prowess in recent weeks.
However, another player who must take responsibility for these goals is goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, who hasn’t kept a clean sheet all season.
The Frenchman has had a mixed season since Nuno’s arrival. In some games, he has single-handedly secured points for his side with his heroics, but in others he has been largely to blame when the Hammers have conceded cheap goals.
Saturday’s game encapsulated Areola’s general performance this season. The 32-year-old made one of the saves of the season to deny Moisés Caicedo with a phenomenal stop. Areola’s shot-stopping is his biggest strength, and he has proved that time after time for the Hammers.
But arguably his biggest weakness is his ability to deal with high balls and crosses. The Frenchman simply does not command his area when the ball is in the air, and all too often relies on his defenders to clear their lines rather than coming for the ball himself.
For Chelsea’s first two goals on Saturday, Areola appeared in no man’s land – not committed enough to deal with the cross, but also too far away from his goal to prevent the Chelsea players scoring when they made impact with the ball.
Areola’s inability to effectively deal with crosses has cost West Ham on multiple occasions this season – most notably when he took out Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, conceding a late penalty that lost the Hammers a crucial encounter with their relegation rivals.
The Hammers’ goalkeeper has proven his talent over the years – and he is not entirely to blame for every headed goal the Irons concede – but he lacks the communication and confidence in the air that made former No.1 Łukasz Fabiański so reliable for so long at the London Stadium.