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West Ham are not a bad team, far from it. There is talent in their roster, and desire. You can see it in each challenge, each exhausting sprint and in the frustrated body language when a pass fails to connect. This intensity is mirrored on the sideline, with the manager vocal during their loss to Aston Villa – “maintain shape”, “come closer”, “communicate” and “close the space” were part of the many instructions from the dugout, as spectators behind the bench hearing the views of the coach while the match is in progress. Skinner is in it, she is engaged, the players are engaged, so what is not working?

Worrying Statistics Reveal the Story

After five matches and they have zero points, have let in 16 goals and netted only two. They are capable of scoring though, five different goal scorers in a rout of their opponents in the League Cup on 24 September a momentary relief from defeat before Chelsea put three past them in a quarter-hour last weekend to return them in their place. Facing Chelsea West Ham weren’t bad for large parts, that 15 minute calamitous spell was an outlier and, while supporters worried about a total after the break meltdown, they recovered, excelled with their under pressure, and let in just one additional goal to the title holders.

Consistency across a full match has been a ongoing problem. The opening stages and second half against Chelsea were periods to be pleased with, as was the opening 45 versus the Gunners and closing 45 facing the Seagulls.

Familiar Story Against Villa

Against Villa the story was familiar, the visiting team dominating possession in Dagenham but West Ham creating opportunities too, nine shots to their opponents’ eleven. They were in it in the first half, competing, playing well enough to be able to take something from the game, the difference though was that West Ham had only a single attempt on goal, as compared to the visitors’ four.

The team are not being let down by their style, grit or coaching choices, they are failing by individuals not being clinical when they find scoring opportunities. It is that choice-making in the attacking zone that needs work, the five strikes scored against lower-league opponents their cup foes may indicate the problem: when they have time on the ball they choose correctly, when they are under pressure and challenged by top-tier rivals it’s almost as if they find it hard to make rapid decisions.

“In my view we were sharp enough in the final third and we just lacked that cutting edge where the final ball was sometimes a bit over hit, lacking the necessary precision and then just needing to take on shots a sooner,” stated the manager.

“Based on the individuals, when I’m watching them one by one, I just feel like they’re all a little bit hesitant relative to where we were before. The desire to run at people and be very direct was really, really strong and we just must restore that fight back where we’re a little bit more ruthless in and around the penalty area, where we are a bit braver to go one-on-one and where we accept the outcome but we’re committing players and we’re attempting to generate chances. This is an area that we’ve just somewhat eased up a bit on and we’re looking for passes as instead of being a more straightforward and being more confident in our own ability.”

Expensive Moments Result in Defeat

During the match that was costly again. Shortly after Viviane Asseyi glanced a header wide, they were punished at the opposite goal, Kirsty Hanson receiving her short corner back from a teammate before driving the ball into the far corner. Soon after and Natalia Arroyo’s side had a bigger cushion, a player’s set-piece lobbed over the defensive line and in.

It was another difficult afternoon for West Ham and their lack of points on the table will certainly prompt doubts arising about Skinner’s position. That would be completely unjust though. Much work to be made for sure, self-belief and quickness in choices must improve, and the players must bear some responsibility for that, but they are a team that is struggling from a shortage of love and care from the club as a entirety, and Skinner is a victim of that rather than the cause of the squad’s struggles.

Wider Issues at Play

This summer, several individuals departed and only four came in. The standard of those joining this time round was arguably higher overall, but a limited funds has resulted in that season-on-season West Ham have lost their top talents to better teams. Prior to doubts are asked about the manager’s reign, she merits a chance to show what she can do unhindered and that means the team upping its game – and the identical applies for several women’s top-flight clubs.