Slaven Bilic’s quotes after West Ham’s harrowing 5-1 defeat to Arsenal made him sound like a man near the edge of a scary precipice. Having been drubbed 4-1 by Manchester United in midweek, Bilic’s Hammers were outplayed on their home ground once again and finished the game in front of an almost-empty London Stadium. It was a tough watch in parts, although the sheer brilliance of Alexis Sanchez throughout was a joy for all (unless you’re fond of the Hammers).
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A man perhaps aware that his job is now on the line, Bilic questioned the desire of his players and spoke of a loss of intensity. That is a call to arms if there ever was one. A do or die final card from a manager who needs a reaction almost immediately. Sitting one point above the relegation zone (before Middlesbrough face Hull on Monday night), only bottom-of-the-pile Swansea have conceded more Premier League goals than the Hammers this season. A damning statistic for a side who only earlier this calendar year were in contention for a top four berth.
After a short-lived period of hope that saw the Hammers notch back-to-back victories in the league, the horrors of the start of this season have returned. Resilience was shown at Old Trafford last weekend, but the last two performances from the Irons have been abject. Where individuals overachieved throughout 2015/16, they are now substantially underachieving. A run of easier fixtures is around the corner, but current standards of performance do little to suggest that even that will halt the slump the Hammers have been on.
Bilic is an experienced, intelligent manager, but this is surely the greatest task of his career so far. Growing unrest amongst West Ham fans venting their concern at the situation in which the club finds itself has created an echoing, nervous atmosphere at home, whilst the inability of any Iron to find the net on a regular basis is stifling the team offensively. In fact, even Dimitri Payet has looked far from himself for much of this season, perhaps suffering from fatigue after an intense 2015/16 campaign that ended in Euro 2016 heartbreak with France.
Few would have seen such a downturn approaching for West Ham. Last season's performance was a big shock, but 2016/17’s collapse has been remarkable. An indifferent summer transfer window - along with injuries to Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho - was damaging, but the club is nearing a point of all-out crisis. As easy as it can be to blame a large portion of this on the stadium move, the poor performances have not been limited to home games. Sky Sports' Sunday Supplement produced a long debate about how influential the stadium move has been on West Ham’s downfall and, frankly, it is immeasurable. Upton Park was a daunting away day for any Premier League side, but there is something deeper going wrong at West Ham at the moment.
The performance against Arsenal was a warning for West Ham, but the concerned was amplified by Bilic’s reaction. Cutting a figure of a man unsure where to look, last year’s managerial icon resembles a surly teenager on the sideline. Time is not on the side of Bilic, nor is it with West Ham any more. Defeat to Arsenal was likely, but the manner of the defeat was unacceptable. And there are fewer and fewer games remaining to put it right.
For all his positive impact last season, it is hard to see how Slaven Bilic can turn West Ham’s season around.
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