OPINION
West Ham United were unable to build upon their impressive win over Arsenal last weekend after they were subjected to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Hammers now slip into tenth place following the loss, while the Cherries propelled themselves to 12th place following goals from Callum Wilson and Joshua King.
Manuel Pellegrini will no doubt have to go back to the drawing board after this result, as there were no doubt a few things he would have needed to address.
Here, This is Futbol has rounded up the three things learned about West Ham v Bournemouth:
West Ham are not the same without Arnautovic
Striker Marko Arnautovic was absent for this game, but you could really tell his presence was lost on the pitch. Yes, Arnautovic may not have been in the right frame of mind to play on Saturday, but his physical presence is one of the things that the Irons really missed. Like him or not, the Austrian is a player who makes a big impact on games, and when he is on form, he is almost unstoppable. Fingers crossed that the situation surrounding a potential move to China is resolved soon, as West Ham really need him back as soon as possible.
Carroll cannot need the line
The giant that is forward Andy Carroll led the line for the Hammers on Saturday, but based on his display, it is no surprise that Pellegrini took him off after the hour mark. He was absolutely woeful beyond belief and wasted the team’s best opportunity from the match after he hit the crossbar despite only being a yard out. If he cannot manage those sorts of chances, then he does not deserve to be in the starting XI. Pellegrini must bin the waste of space as soon as he can, as he is just hampering West Ham’s efforts and he is not contributing anywhere near enough.
Diop was not his usual consistent self
Issa Diop was definitely a shadow of the player that we usually see on Saturday. He is normally very able in the air and is solid defensively, but there were no signs of that for the majority of the afternoon. The summer signing was adequate in the first period, but after that, everything just took a turn for the worst. His poor decision making did not help his fellow defenders in the slightest, and this is what ultimately led to the first goal from Wilson. The 22-year-old clearly still has a lot to learn at the highest level if this display is anything to go by.