West Ham fans ‘not happy’ by ‘shock Graham Potter call’ v Crystal Palace. West Ham fans won’t be happy with Graham Potter’s defensive structure against Crystal Palace, Michael Dawson says.
The Sky Sports pundit was “surprised” that the Hammers started five defenders against the Eagles at the London Stadium on Saturday (18 January), with the scoreline 0-0 at the break. Aaron Cresswell replaced Carlos Soler in the starting lineup, and Oliver Glasner’s team controlled the game in the first half.
Speaking on Sky Sports News (18 January, 15:12), Dawson said: “I’m really surprised the way West Ham have set up here. They are surrendering possession. It was 68 per cent possession Palace had. I’m not too sure how long this can go on with the fans because they won’t be happy.
“But the reason I think Graham Potter set up like this is the amount of goals that they’ve conceded. So he goes, we have to try and stabilise and try and build ourselves into the game.”
Graham Potter needs to change West Ham United system v Crystal Palace
The East London club have put in better performances since Graham Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui, leading to renewed hope among the fans.
But the London Stadium faithful have seen their team revert to their former selves against Palace after the shocking decision to drop Soler, who has produced the goods recently.
If the Hammers win against Palace, they’ll find themselves closer to the European spots in the table, which was the hope at the start of the season. West Ham are unlikely to be in the mix for Europe, but all the London Stadium faithful can now look forward to is better displays in the coming months.
After disappointing for half a season under Lopetegui, the former Brighton boss will need to pull something special out of his bag to get into the top six.
The Irons struggled to create many opportunities in the first half, so it would be sensible to substitute Cresswell for Soler after the break.
In other West Ham news, Dharmesh Sheth has revealed a twist with the Maxwell Cornet transfer situation.
