OPINION
It is another week and another loss for West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini and his team, and they only have Wolverhampton Wanderers’ attacker Adama Traore to thank after he broke fans’ hearts in stoppage time.
The Hammers are now the only team in all of England’s top four divisions without a single point, which is a woeful statistic considering that they spent big earlier this summer.
There will be a lot of finger pointing following their fourth straight defeat, but the one player that must be getting a fair share of the blame should be winger Michail Antonio.
The 28-year-old spurned one of the Irons’ best chances to score, and throughout the match he did not contribute anything apart from his missed opportunity.
It is questionable as to why he started ahead of Andriy Yarmolenko for this must-win clash, and for this horror show alone, Pellegrini must axe him if he wants to increase his team’s goal threat.
He offered nothing up front, and he hardly supported Marko Arnautovic in the attack – so it remains to be seen why Pellegrini thinks he is worthy of a first team place.
Right now, he is the one player who is dragging the rest of the team down with him, and at the moment, they cannot afford for that to keep happening.
The fact that he could not convert such a great opportunity that could have put the Irons ahead demonstrates just why he is not at the level to play in the top flight.
For all of the money that the club have spent this summer, Pellegrini decides to start a player that has not really improved the side since his arrival in 2015.
For the sake of the club and his own future, Pellegrini must wield the axe after Antonio’s dismal display.