Should Manuel Pellegrini be Given Time to Turn Around West Ham’s Season?
There was plenty of optimism around east London this summer with West Ham fans confident that their side could improve upon a tumultuous campaign which saw them finish 13th in the Premier League after briefly flirting with relegation. Experienced Chilean boss Manuel Pellegrini was appointed and a number of eye-catching signings were made throughout July and August with some optimistic Hammers supporters dreaming of a top-six challenge. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone to plan so far and four games into the season, they have yet to pick up a single point.
Pellegrini is West Ham’s third manager in the last eleven months and the 64-year old arrives with bags of experience. After the unpredictability of Slaven Bilic and safety-first approach of David Moyes, West Ham fans were excited about the arrival of the former Manchester City gaffer. The Hammer’s odds for a top half finish began to shorten as the Santiago-born boss added the likes of Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Jack Wilshire to the squad. After four games, there have been flashes of promise from the new recruits but the team looks bereft of confidence and they are yet to get off the mark during the 2018/19 campaign.
It is still early days but overreaction is rife in the Premier League and many supporters are beginning to have their doubts about the 64-year-old’s ability to turn things around at the London Stadium. He’s been given the vote of confidence by Karren Brady but the fixtures don’t get any easier and many believe that he is unlikely to be in his current position come January.
The former Premier League winner has seen his side defeated to Liverpool and Arsenal during their opening four matches but it’s their home losses to Bournemouth and Wolves which have been the most damaging and he must find a way to stop his side conceding sloppy goals. He’s moved into second-favourite in the next Premier League Manager to Leave market behind the volatile Jose Mourinho and is available at 4/1 with majority of bookmakers including Betfair, who have a number of Premier League enhanced odds priced up every weekend and they are also currently offering the best price on West Ham to be relegated, which is 11/4.
Whilst relegation is a legitimate worry for West Ham fans, teams such as Huddersfield and Cardiff could also be in for tough campaigns and Pellegrini’s side should have enough to survive this season but supporters are unlikely to settle for another underwhelming season in the top tier. He has returned home to Chile during September’s international break and his players have been given some much-needed time off. Some critics have suggested that he should be meticulously working with his squad throughout this period in order to rectify the issues within the team.
Although Pellegrini has got off to a poor start at West Ham, he should be given time at the club to turn things around. With Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in his first seven fixtures, it was never going to be easy for the experienced coach and another managerial change is unlikely to help their cause. The Chilean is savvy enough to turn things around and the West Ham hierarchy should avoid pressing the panic button anytime soon.