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3 things Pellegrini must do to solve West Ham’s troubles after the international break

3 Things Pellegrini must do to solve West Ham United’s troubles

West Ham United are in deep trouble after their recent losses against Burnley and Newcastle United. The two fixtures saw them concede six goals while they scored only two.

Since their 2-0 win against Manchester United in September, the Hammers have failed to register a win in the Premier League. Their winless streak began against Oxford in the EFL Cup, losing 4-0 to the third-tier team.

Manuel Pellegrini
Manuel Pellegrini

Pellegrini’s team is currently languishing near the relegation zone. In their 12 games this campaign, they have won just three and have conceded 20 times, which is a bad sign.

Let’s take a look at three things Pellegrini must do to revive their hopes of finishing higher up the table.

A Back-up Goalkeeper

The Hammers allowed Adrian to leave on a free transfer and that decision has proven to be very costly.

Their first-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is out of the team with a hip injury and Roberto, who joined Hammers from Espanyol on a free transfer, has been unable to match the requirements of the league.

Lukasz Fabianski
Lukasz Fabianski

He showed a lack of quality in the last two games, including a terrible own goal against Burnley last weekend. And barring him, David Martins is their only choice in goal.

Thus, it would be good if Pellegrini goes for a promising goalkeeper in the January transfer window.

Team Selection

After losing 2-0 to Everton with a 4-1-4-1 formation, the Chilean opted to make a change that saw Pablo Zabaleta being preferred over Ryan Fredericks against Newcastle. Zabaleta, 34 could not match the speed of Allan Saint-Maximin and he ran riot against the Hammers.

In another instance, after the visit to Goodison Park, Angelo Ogbonna was replaced by Balbuena, who has been far from decent so far.

Angelo Ogbonna
Angelo Ogbonna

Pellegrini has to start with players who have a better record and are more consistent. Any mistake in the starting line-up could cost them severely, as they are set to lock horns with Tottenham and Chelsea after the international break.

Raise the team spirit

Key players like Felipe Anderson, Declan Rice and Sebastien Haller have put up poor performances this season and their intensity seems to have decreased.

Last season, Haller scored 20 goals for Eintracht Frankfurt playing alongside Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic. This season, his goal tally accounts to just 4.

Declan Rice’s presence in the midfield was impressive last season and as a result, he was called up to the England national team. Since then, he hasn’t contributed much to the team.

Sebastien Haller
Sebastien Haller

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Verdict

Pellegrini also has the option to call back Grady Diangana, who is on loan at West Brom. He has been in fine form this season and could work wonders, as Manuel Lanzini is out injured.

West Ham need to make some changes once the league resumes and if Pellegrini takes the right steps, they would be capable of turning things around.