West Ham United will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing 3-2 home defeat by arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur when they host Swansea City at the London Stadium on Saturday, and it is a clash that could have huge consequences for manager Slaven Bilic.
The Croatian had found himself under pressure after the club lost their opening three Premier League fixtures of the season, but a win and a draw against Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion had looked to have given him some respite.
However, the loss to Spurs has increased the scrutiny once again even though his team fought from 3-0 down to reduce the arrears to 3-2, with the visitors going down to 10 men when Serge Aurier saw red 20 minutes from time.
The Telegraph now claims that Bilic cannot afford anything but a win against Swansea in order to ensure that he keeps his job, with the international break providing the ideal opportunity for the Irons hierarchy to find a new manager.
Here are three reasons West Ham will fail to beat the Swans on Saturday…
Attacking issues
West Ham may have signed Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic in big-money deals during the summer, but Bilic is struggling to find a system that works for the duo and also incorporates Andy Carroll.
The Croatian boss decided to go with Arnautovic, Hernandez and Antonio from the start in a front three against Spurs, but when the latter was forced off early on because of injury he was replaced by Carroll.
It meant that the Mexican again dropped out wide and it is a position that certainly doesn’t seem to suit the 29-year-old, who did find the net when he was put back in the centre against Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
Until Bilic finds a solution to the problem and the best system to fit his attacking players in, West Ham’s struggles in front of goal will continue.
Crowd pressure
The Irons supporters will want to see a reaction and a positive performance following the defeat to Tottenham, but the clash against Swansea could be a dangerous one in that regard.
Many of those fans will be expecting their side to beat the Welsh outfit at home, but if they fail to make a breakthrough in the first half-an-hour or so then the frustration will grow in the stands, and that could quickly translate to the players on the pitch.
Bilic will know that an early goal could make the difference, but the visitors will be determined to stop that happening to boost their chances of picking up a positive result.
Swansea’s away form
The Welsh side have been particularly poor away from home in recent seasons, and last term their disappointing results on their travels almost cost them their place in the Premier League.
They lost 13 of their 19 top flight matches on the road, winning just four and conceding 36 goals in total.
Paul Clement would have been keen to improve that record for the current campaign to avoid being involved in another relegation scrap, and whatever he has done over the summer seems to have worked as they are now a different animal altogether.
Swansea are unbeaten and yet to concede a goal following their trips to Southampton, Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur this term, and they will certainly be difficult to break down at the London Stadium on Saturday.
Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.
