Wayne Rooney blasts West Ham on MOTD after what Kelly Cates said about loss vs Crystal Palace
West Ham slumped to another home defeat on Saturday.
Graham Potter is facing the sack after a fourth defeat in five games to start the season.
The Hammers’ 2-1 home loss to Crystal Palace was their third home loss of the season, with pressure on the manager mounting.
West Ham fans protested against ownership ahead of kick-off, with many people fed up with what they’re seeing on and off the pitch.
David Sullivan has been asked to step down, and those calls will only intensify following Saturday’s defeat.
Wayne Rooney damning of West Ham on Match of the Day
Wayne Rooney was on Match of the Day on Saturday and was extremely critical of one particular aspect of West Ham’s defeat.
Kelly Cates put to Wayne Rooney that seven of the 13 goals West Ham have conceded have been from corners.
Rooney responded: “They’ve been really poor from set-pieces, and conceding seven goals already this season is too many.
Graham Potter said they’d been working on the set-pieces, and as a coach, when you’re putting the work in, then that’s all he can do, put the work in to try and stop it.”
The former England midfielder broke down the first goal conceded by West Ham, and was extremely critical of their defending.
He said: “If we look at the goal today by Palace. It’s a 3 v 2 by the penalty area, so Guehi gets free; it’s a completely free header when the ball comes in.
Mateta is on the goalkeeper; no one is marking him. Mavropanos, instead of going back to get Mateta, goes on the goal line, and then that’s too late and Crystal Palace score another set-piece goal.
Rooney is correct in his assessment, and too many times have West Ham seen the same failures at the London Stadium this season.
West Ham must fix defensive woes
West Ham may sack Potter over the Crystal Palace result, but their problems run a lot deeper than the manager.
The Hammers have been terrible in defence this season, conceding 10 goals in three home matches.
They cannot defend from set-pieces, and other teams have started to target them from these situations.
| Season Stats 25/26 | West Ham |
| Goals conceded | 13 |
| xG conceded | 7.8 |
| Clean sheets | 1 |
Sullivan and Co. must invest more money into the defence in January, regardless of who is the manager, because it’s a major issue in the team.
If West Ham cannot shore up their backline, then fans may have to start planning for life outside the Premier League sooner than later.
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