Graham Potter experiment is failing at West Ham v Aston Villa, change needed now
Graham Potter opted against starting a natural striker for West Ham and it is severely backfiring with Aston Villa going into the break ahead.
West Ham have struggled to get to grips with Villa in the first half of the clash on 26 January and much of that appears to be down to the team selection from Potter.
The Irons have deployed what appears to be a front three of Lucas Paqueta, Carlos Soler and Mohammed Kudus and with none of them known for their ability as a number nine, the ball is simply failing to stick in the Villa half.
It seems highly unlikely that the current setup will bring any success, with Jacob Ramsey scoring the only goal of the game so far within 10 minutes.
West Ham performance showcases the need for a striker
Given the injury to Niclas Fullkrug, it leaves Danny Ings as the Hammers’ only choice when it comes to a natural striker.
While it makes sense for him to be introduced to the game given his ability to lead the line and hold the ball, it showcases the need for the Irons to ramp up their efforts to sign a striker this winter.
The Hammers have plenty of creativity across the squad but that can rarely prevail in a side where there isn’t a regular source of goals and that has been on show at Villa Park.
This game is still very much there for the taking but a result will only be achievable if the Irons can find a way to maintain position in the Villa half, something they’re failing to do so far.
Although he may not pose the biggest goal threat, Ings will be able to do just that and his link-up play will likely see more from the likes of Paqueta and Kudus.
In other West Ham news, the Irons have a transfer for a surprise defender on the cards.
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