Todays loss against Aston Villa was the first time since the end of January that it truly felt like the squad had suffered from a lack of activity in the transfer window.
It didn’t take much to upset the fragile make-up of the Hammers squad. With Crysencio Summerville injured and Jean-Clair Todibo pulling up in the warm-up, just two absentees completely disrupted not only Nuno’s plans but also any real attacking threat for large periods of the game.
What was immediately noticeable was just how slow West Ham looked compared to the opposition. That’s nothing new, of course. Since the departure of Ryan Fredericks, the Hammers have largely lacked a player with genuine pace.
However, Summerville had reinvigorated the team’s counter-attacking threat. Without him, that threat simply disappears. While Taty Castellanos and Pablo both have their qualities, pace is not among them.
Lack of Spark Leaves Hammers Blunt
In truth, West Ham lacked any sort of X-factor — and that is exactly what should have been addressed when Lucas Paquetá unexpectedly left at the end of January.
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Nuno’s side are missing that bit of sparkle and effervescence — someone capable of threading a killer pass or producing a moment of individual brilliance to unsettle the opposition.
For the most part, it hasn’t cost us. But on this occasion — in what was an incredibly important game — the fragility of the squad was there for all to see.
It served as a stark reminder of just how much quality has been allowed to wither on the vine under the current ownership.