The full extent of the **West Ham** rebuild required next season was laid bare for all to see at the [London Stadium](https://www.claretandhugh.info/london-stadium-bio/) last night.
Seeing the Hammers’ new manager set up the team defensively, with only two attackers and mustering just a couple of shots on target, was sobering. But what has become clear is that this West Ham team just can’t seem to play any other way.
There was a microcosm of this late in the second half when Graham Potter eventually used all of his attackers—they simply didn’t know what to do.
Former Irons boss [David Moyes](https://www.claretandhugh.info/david-moyes-bio/) tried to switch styles at the start of the 2022/23 season but had to revert back to parking the bus. And who can forget Julen Lopetegui’s attempts to get the team playing on the front foot, which only resulted in defensive capitulations?
To put it bluntly, more than half the squad will need to depart if West Ham are to truly switch from counter-attacking to something more fluid. Sure, we have more possession than under Moyes, but with Alphonse Areola hoofing the ball up to a couple of small attackers, we have little about us that can genuinely change styles.
This Hammers team is slow and lacking in technique, with the midfield in desperate need of a complete overhaul. Next season can’t come quickly enough