Pellegrini admits to ‘very bad’ run after Wolves hammer blow
Well, that didn’t take long. We’re only four games into the Premier League season, but after this dismal defeat pointless West Ham already look like a club in crisis.
Having laboured throughout against Nuno Espirito Santo’s impressive Wolves side, West Ham were flattened by substitute Adama Traore’s stoppagetime winner. Ruben Neves neatly dispossessed the dawdling Carlos Sanchez in midfield and slipped a pass forward for Leo Bonatini, who teed up Traore to fire a low effort past Lukasz Fabianski at the near post.
The home supporters flooded out of the London Stadium in their thousands the moment the goal went in, disgusted at a fourth straight defeat that leaves their side rooted to the bottom of the table. This after spending around £100million on nine new players in the summer – and with Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United up next, it could get worse before it gets better.
“I don’t think it is a bad start, it is a very bad start,” manager Manuel Pellegrini told the BBC. “We can’t lose six points here at home like we have. Playing away against Liverpool and Arsenal and you don’t play so well is understandable. Here at home to lose we must be very worried.”
Wolves by contrast were jubilant, celebrating a first Premier League victory since February 2012 as though they’d just won the FA Cup.
The visitors were comfortably the better side, and continued to attack even when they could have settled for a point late on.
“I don’t know any other way to play football,” Nuno said. “It’s in your character, the boys have this character, the club has this character.
“We didn’t change from last season. We play the same way, do the same things, try to create solutions. The players are improving, and things will happen naturally.”
Were it not for their wasteful finishing, this could have been a far more straightforward afternoon for Wolves. Summer loan signing Raul Jimenez could have scored a hat-trick, and the spectacular hash he made of a 79thminute sitter – plum in front of the goal – was an early contender for miss of the season.
Jimenez’s blushes were spared by similar profligacy from West Ham. Fabian Balbuena, Andriy Yarmolenko and Marko Arnautovic wasted decent
West Ham equalled their worst start to the season with a fourth straight defeat. It last happened in 2010-11 en route to relegation.
openings. “We need to defend better and score more goals,” Pellegrini said, stating the obvious. “We need to reduce the number of mistakes.” With respect to Huddersfield, it is strange that David Wagner is still their manager. Most likely it speaks volumes about his love for and sense of duty to the club, presuming he has rejected numerous offers from wealthier suitors.
Maybe it reveals more about the lack of judgment of those chairmen who are not diligent when assessing candidates. You wonder what team he would build with the cash plundered at West Ham, for example. Leading Huddersfield into the Premier League was extraordinary. Keeping them there probably eclipsed it. Retaining their status this season would surely be his greatest of all achievements.
A 1-1 draw at Everton was further proof those believing the trap door beckons this time could be underestimating the German coach. Of those