West Ham and the 3-at-the-back solution
I’ve seen a lot of West Ham fans suggesting that the way out of our current poor form is to switch to a system with 3 at the back, as if having more defenders = better defending. I don’t personally see it. There are undoubtedly major question marks over the individual quality of our defensive personnel (especially at full-back), but the bigger issue is that they’re hung out to dry by the structure in front of them.
The major problem, as it inevitably is with West Ham, is in central midfield. We can’t play 3–4–3 because no combination of the current CM options have shown that they’re capable of playing in a 2-man midfield and we can’t play 3–5–2 either because the two wider midfield central midfielders in that system have to be able to shuttle out to the wings to prevent their full-backs from getting doubled up on and none of our CMs have the energy to do that. West Ham’s full-backs are badly exposed in one-on-one situations as it is; imagine how dire it’ll get without an extra body in front of them.
There’s a real shortage of pace in our current crop of central defenders too which is going to make it difficult for the wider CBs in a 3 to cover the space if our full-backs push on high up the pitch. Any side who are able to feed passes into the channels to pacy wingers are going to cause serious issues because our FBs (other than Fredericks) don’t have the dynamism to make recovery runs and the wider CBs don’t have the pace to get across and play as auxiliary full-backs when required.
That’s not to mention the problems that playing 3 central defenders would cause this team in possession. One of the biggest issues in West Ham’s attacking game recently has been just how static everything is in front of the player on the ball. That problem is only going to be exacerbated by dropping another player into the backline — none of the current central defensive options (aside from perhaps Diop) are capable of progressing the ball out of defense with their passing, which means that Noble is going to drop off (as he inevitably does anyway) to pick up the ball and try and get things moving. That additional defender means that there’s one less option moving ahead of the ball for the player in possession to pick out with a pass. All that playing with 3 CBs is going to achieve is increasing the amount of ball circulation across the back.
The last few games have illustrated just how bad West Ham are without possession. Take this clip from the Sheffield United game:
Jack O’Connell is able to play a relatively unpressured pass down the line into the feet of Callum Robinson. Balbuena gets a toe on the ball and it breaks to Noble who gives away possession with a loose pass.
Diop dashes forward to try to win the ball back but fouls David McGoldrick in the process. John Lundstram picks up the loose ball and this is the state of play:
Rice has been excessively cautious and filled in at CB for Diop which leaves an enormous pocket space in front of the back 4. Despite giving the ball away cheaply, Noble is somehow miles ahead of the ball, as is Snodgrass who walks back while he watches the player playing directly opposite him (Lundstram) begin an attack.
We had a similar sort of problem in the Everton game where a turnover situation badly caught us out:
This originated from a West Ham throw on the right wing. The ball got switched via a couple of passes of Masuaku at LB. Lanzini had dropped off to provide a passing option but Djibril Sidibé pressed him hard. Lanzini gave the ball away to Theo Walcott who has time to pick out Iwobi in an ocean of space because Masuaku has already committed to the overlap, Rice has again filled into the backline, and Noble is too distant from the rest of midfield on the other side and therefore detached from play.
Ogbonna steps out put the squeeze on Iwobi and that leaves the whole organisation in a shambles.
Likewise in this scenario:
A long punt forward by Pickford ends up in the centre circle. Andre Gomes wins the ball back off Noble and Rice goes chasing after the ball to no avail. Everton switch it out to Sidibé who picks out the run Iwobi’s made by peeling off the back of our midfield undetected. Rather than properly tracking the runner, Rice and Noble trudge back and watch as Iwobi gets one on one with Roberto. The lack of co-ordination in the pressing and the lack of positional discipline allows Everton to create a fantastic goal scoring opportunity off the back of winning one second ball in the centre circle.
The Burnley game was perhaps the worst of all for West Ham’s shape without the ball. These snapshots come from late in the match and perhaps the way we were chasing the game exaggerates the issue, but it doesn’t make for pretty viewing:
West Ham are undone by a switch of play. The left-sided central midfielder, Robert Snodgrass has for some reason found himself on the right wing next to Declan Rice, vacating an enormous amount of space in front of the back 4, where Burnley currently have 3 players up against West Ham’s 2 CBs. West Ham’s non-existent midfield shape means there are also 4 Burnley players deeper who can circulate the ball under virtually no pressure.
Not as bad considering they’ve got Charlie Taylor pinned against the touchline and everyone else is man-to-man marking, but there’s still a chasm in the middle of the pitch because Snodgrass is so much more advanced than anyone else.
Another turnover situation catches West Ham out and leaves them 5 vs 4.
It’s worthwhile contrasting that with a properly coached team to highlight the differences. Take Leicester’s performance against Arsenal from the same round of fixtures and notice the structural differences:
When Arsenal’s back 4 are in possession around the half-way line, Leicester suffocate them with their shape. Gray and Barnes have tucked in so their midfield line is compact and the 3 central midfielders are perfectly spaced, cutting off access to Arsenal forwards, with Ndidi dropping slightly deeper than the other two to sweep up if necessary. Chambers’ only options are Torreira and Guendouzi who have to play in front of the Leicester midfield line, safe passes that Tielemans and Maddison can press if they want to spring a counter.
They adopt a similar off the ball structure when they press in the opposition defensive third as well. Praet has come on for Barnes, with Maddison switching out to the left, and the Belgian is the one to break off from his marker to close down the loose touch from Chambers, as Vardy presses from behind. Maddison’s tucked in position cuts off the passing lane to Arsenal’s right wing and Ndidi’s sweeping position covers options in the centre of the pitch.
When that aggressive press isn’t on or has been bypassed, they drop into their shape just inside their own half. They’re perfectly content to allow Arsenal to move the ball to their full-backs because Leicester’s defence has squeezed up to close the space to the midfielders in front of them (you can see Ricardo Pereira (number 21) has pushed right up to support Demarai Gray’s pressing efforts). This gives them a vertical compactness in addition to their horizontal compactness which makes them extremely difficult to play through.
And that’s the kind of thing that West Ham are sorely missing right now. They’re terrible at defending space zonally and they don’t have the athleticism or the co-ordination to press collectively.
Playing with 3 at the back isn’t going to fix that.
