OPINION
After a summer spending spree approaching £100million you would think that West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini would be well stocked in every area of the pitch.
And while that is true in many ways, the Hammers’ second successive loss to start the season – a 2-1 home defeat by Bournemouth on Saturday – ruthlessly exposed their weaknesses in both midfield and defence.
The Irons took a first-half lead through Marko Arnautovic’s penalty but conceded twice within six minutes in the second period to remain at the bottom of the Premier League table after two games.
Pellegrini’s team selection had raised some eyebrows before the game, with young midfielder Declan Rice dropped from the squad completely along with Michail Antonio and Ryan Fredericks, while Robert Snodgrass started.
The decision to exclude Rice completely will have concerned many West Ham fans despite midfield changes being expected after their loss to Liverpool last weekend, and that decision was eventually to prove costly for the Hammers.
Jack Wilshere admittedly played well for the Irons, and will have surely cemented his place in the centre for Pellegrini in the coming weeks, but captain Mark Noble was once again poor.
The 31-year-old seemed to struggle to keep pace with the game at points, and his lack of pace was ruthlessly exposed for the second time this season already.
Having such a player in the side is manageable if they are playing alongside a player with decent pace, but Wilshere unfortunately does not possess that.
Admittedly, neither does Rice, and that is where Pellegrini’s main problem now lies.
He needs to figure out a system in which the Hammers will not be punished for their slow midfield play, and that is likely to include Pedro Obiang, who can get himself about well.
This is not to say that Noble should not play, but Pellegrini can not simply deploy him alongside Wilshere and expect it to work against Premier League opposition.
This is his biggest conundrum ahead of their London derby against Arsenal next weekend, and it is one that the Chilean will have to work out very quickly to get their season up and running.