**West Ham suffered a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle on Monday night, with a second-half goal from Bruno Guimaraes proving to be the difference between the sides.**
It was almost a perfect start from the Hammers, when Tomas Soucek missed from close range in the opening moments of the game in what really should have been the opener.
After a promising first few minutes, West Ham seemed to just retreat and take their foot of the gas, giving the Magpies time and space on the ball.
In a game where West Ham fans might have felt their chances would have improved due to a cup final on the horizon for Newcastle, the approach to the game as a whole was quite disappointing, and this was punished in the 63rd minute when Guimaraes found the back of the net from close range.
In truth, the Hammers didn’t cause Nick Pope too many problems after their lively start to the game. They created [no big chances following Soucek’s miss and registered just two shots on target in the match](https://www.sofascore.com/football/match/newcastle-united-west-ham-united/MO).
Lack of creativity West Ham’s downfall
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Despite the Hammers [having 51% possession and more passes completed than the visitors](https://www.sofascore.com/football/match/newcastle-united-west-ham-united/MO), it felt like when they had the ball, there were no ideas going forward.
The three or five at the back (however you want to look at it) is a formation we know Potter favours, but when at home, you really have to treat it as a back three where the wing-backs can help in the attack.
This didn’t feel like the case at all against Newcastle, where there seemed to be more reliance on Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen in the final third as opposed to using the wing-backs, which ultimately made the two up front quite isolated all game.
I am not the biggest fan of a back five or three, but I understand how it can work as it did against Arsenal. But when it’s a game where you should be trying to get on the front foot, like against Newcastle, it has its downsides.
There was a clear lack of creativity in midfield, which has felt like a recurring issue this season, so it would have been nice to see Lucas Paqueta come off the bench a bit earlier, and with no focal point up front, it felt like nothing was ever going to come from the attacks in the game.
Other than Max Kilman and Alphonse Areola, there were no real standouts on the pitch, and it has proved how pivotal the summer transfer window will be for Potter’s career at West Ham, with a rebuild clearly needed.