West Ham United have attacking evolution on the cards as stat reveals huge improvement
West Ham United’s goalscoring has seen a significant improvement after a stat revealed the Hammers to be much more prolific than last season.
So far this season, David Moyes’ side tops the Premier League for most goals per shot, with an average of 0.17 goals per shot in their opening four Premier League games. [FBRef]
While, of course, these figures only reflect a small sample size, it is a significant improvement on where they ended the season in the last campaign, with just 0.08 goals per shot – the joint third lowest in the division. [FBRef]
West Ham did not recruit any attackers during the summer. The bulk of their business was spent dealing with replacing Declan Rice after his £105million move. But with Mohammed Kudus, James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez all through the door for less than Rice’s, they look even better in the middle of the park.
But even without a new striker, which the Hammers were keen on throughout the summer, David Moyes has made his side look like a clinical attacking force – a sharp change from last season.
How has Moyes done this? Well, the new midfielders, especially James Ward-Prowse, have made the forward’s jobs much easier, while the forwards too, mainly Michail Antonio, have upped their game in the opening stretch of the campaign.
Combined, all of Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Said Benrhama and Lucas Paqueta have mustered 43 shot-creating actions, while Paqueta (1.02) and Ward-Prowse (1.38 per 90) sit joint-second for goal-creating actions across the whole division with four.
Last season, Paqueta topped this metric but with a significantly reduced 0.50 goal-creating actions per 90, showing how Moyes has significantly improved the side’s ability to create chances.
The midfielders are also finding themselves in much more advanced positions than last season, with Ward-Prowse and Paqueta often in possession in the attacking third so far this season. This advanced positioning reflects how the Hammers have been able to generate more chances and catch teams out in possession.
However, the forward line has had a fair impact on the improvements too. Antonio has netted twice already this season against Chelsea and Brighton. His home goal against Mauricio Pochettino’s side perfectly encapsulates the improvements seen in the attack.
Ward-Prowse’s positioning allowed him to nick possession from the Blues, then his brilliant pass from near the halfway line was met by an onside Antonio, who dribbled past the Chelsea defence before he unleashed a clinical strike past Robert Sánchez.
There is a while left of the season so go, and these stats will certainly change, for better or worse. But if West Ham can even stay close to these levels of stats across the Premier League campaign, it could be another season to remember in Stratford.
In other West Ham news, a Sky Sports journalist has shared his “mistake” verdict on Mohammed Kudus’ move to the London Stadium.