Next Season – Score more goals or concede less?

As we go into another new Manager search we will all have to wait and see what style of football we will be playing next season.

But where do we need to improve?

A big percentage of the fan base including myself want a more attacking style.

But when you study the final Premier League table there is some positives.

We finished the season in 13^thplace, but in reality it could have been anywhere from 10^thto 17^thgoing into the last 2 games of the season.

So without paying too much attention to the final position, let’s look at the stats within the table.

Played 38

Won  10      

14^thbest win rate in the League so similar to our final league position.

Lost    16

Joint 10^thto 14^thbest in the league, again similar.

But its goals scored and goals conceded that show how erratic our season was.

Goals Scored

We scored 48 goals in our 38 Matches, therefore an average rate of 1.26 goals per game.

This was the 8^thbest in the league with only the top 6 sides plus Leicester scoring more goals than us.

Better than our league position and suggesting that we were more attacking than we were.

With this amount of goals we should have won 1 or 2 more games. If we had then we would have finished in a 9^thor 10^thposition.

Goals Conceded

This is a completely different story

We conceded a massive 68 goals which was the joint worse in the league with Stoke who finished 19^th

Goal Difference

Our difference of -20 goals was joint 14^thto 16^thbest in the league

Where to improve

Defence– Looking at the goals conceded then we need to improve our defending.

This is strange when the general feeling was that we were a defensive team under Moyes.

If we were, then we were not very good at it.

As much as Zabaleta, Rice & Ogbonna got praise for their performances during the season it would be unwise not to be looking at improving in the defensive positions.

For me this would mean a new centre and right back with Reid probably moving on.

Then depending of the formation we play, Zabaleta should only be used as a right back in a flat back 4, not a wing back.

If we are to play with wing backs next season then we need to bring in a new right wing back.

But defending is not just the job of the goal keeper and the back 3 or 5.

We have been screaming out for a holding Midfielder for 2 seasons now and this must be one of the key positions we recruit first. The right player in this position will strengthen us defensively and also give us the opportunity to play a back four if we wish to. Perhaps we may even play different tactics for different opponents.

Attacking– I’m not sure there is a real problem here in terms of players.

Looking at our 48 premier league goals scored,

11 – Arnautovic

8 – Hernandez

5 – Lanzini

4 – Noble

3 – Ayew, Carroll, Antonio

2 – Sakho, Kouyate, Obiang, Mario

1 – Ogbonna, Cresswell, Collins

If we get a Manager who can find the best formation built around Hernandez, Arnautovic and Lanzini then you would expect these three alone to be scoring at least 35 goals in an injury free or light season.

Back this up with Antonio and hopefully Mario and we have goals in the team/squad.

The new Manager is key to keeping Hernandez at West Ham. If he is sold then we will have to replace him and it will probably cost a lot more than the fee we will get for him.

Surely the new Manager will not waste the chance to have a proven goalscorer in the team.

But then again, Moyes did!

By DazP@Kirtonhammer