It would be premature, though only a little, to suggest that when the Premier League returns on Saturday it will find West Ham in crisis mode, yet there can be no doubting that Manuel Pellegrini needs a result at Everton. If the fifth fixture of the season seems rather early for a must-win game, Pellegrini has to at least convince fans, board and players that he knows what he is doing and is capable of turning West Ham into a viable team instead of a collection of individuals who look as if they need a word with their agent.
Alan Shearer on Match of the Day quite rightly tore into them for the listlessness of their display against Wolves and being beaten at home by a promoted side can only be a confidence-drainer for a team still looking for their first league point. Hence the importance of next Sunday’s game at Everton, who looked listless in tamely allowing Huddersfield to escape Goodison Park with a point last week.
The good news for West Ham is that Richarlison is still unavailable through suspension and on the evidence of the Huddersfield game Everton do not possess too many other players who can spring surprises or inject attacking pace. The bad news is that after Everton come Chelsea and Manchester United, meaning that if West Ham fail to pick up any points at Goodison they could still be bottom of the table in October. By that point Pellegrini and his employers will not just be worried about the start that has been made but concerned about how the rest of the season is going to pan out.
Anyone surprised that this fate should befall a club that spent nearly £100m on nine new players in the summer and recruited a manager who won the English title as recently as 2014 has probably not been paying enough attention to how demanding the Premier League has become.
Introducing a clutch of new players is rarely a guarantee of instant success, as Everton found last season, when Ronald Koeman had to make way after failing to find how to integrate his new recruits into an effective team pattern. Far better in many cases to stick with what you know and find a coach capable of improving the performance and on-pitch understanding of a given set of players, as demonstrated by Eddie Howe, Sean Dyche and Chris Hughton in recent seasons.
Pellegrini is clearly not that manager. The league title he won was with Manchester City, who own an above-average set of players and had won the league under Roberto Mancini a couple of years earlier. Pellegrini’s achievement in holding off a tremendous challenge from Liverpool that year should not be underestimated, though it could be argued that with the players at their disposal City should never have allowed the title contest to go to the wire. It could certainly be pointed out that with the same set of players plus Kevin De Bruyne, Pellegrini’s fourth place in his final season at City was somewhat limp.
That need not necessarily have deterred West Ham. After all, only 10 people have won the Premier League in 26 seasons and two of them have now retired. Yet bringing in a 64-year‑old from China seemed tantamount to interrupting a retirement. Pellegrini turns 65 on Sundayand it must have been a surprise to get the call to return to England, though considering West Ham’s reported wages of £10m per season put him among the Premier League’s top-three earners, it would have been a pleasant one.
One of the Chilean’s attractions was apparently that no compensation would be due to Hebei China Fortune, whereas Newcastle were demanding £6m for the release of Rafa Benítez. Given the lavish three-year contract awarded to Pellegrini that may turn out to be false economy, though Benítez seemed reluctant to swap one difficult situation for another in any case.
Pellegrini’s main concern was that the money had to be right – he was not going to sell himself cheaply for his last big move – and he seems to have been allowed to name his own price. West Ham’s desire for stability and continuity at some level is understandable, with many fans still unhappy about the loss of identity surrounding the move to a new stadium. But unless results improve quickly the club face more spectator unrest and the possibility of a three-year plan having to be hastily redrawn after three months.
Liverpool’s visit to Tottenham, or at least to Wembley, is the standout fixture at the weekend, with the league leaders aiming to keep up this season’s 100% record at a stadium where they went down 4-1 a year ago. Watford’s perfect record, easily the biggest surprise of the season thus far, will be put to the test when Manchester United visit Vicarage Road in a meeting that can hardly fail to provide entertainment, while Burnley take on a Wolves side already halfway up the table.
Yet winless West Ham are shaping up as the early-season story. While no one could accuse them of parsimony or taking their Premier League status for granted, they have made the sort of start that commands attention for all the wrong reasons. Pellegrini will earn his money if he can prevent the situation going from bad to worse.
The Guardian Sport
