A Spurs star has trolled Graham Potter in the aftermath of West Ham’s meek defeat to their London rivals and it will surely have the club considering change, in more ways than one.
When you are a manager under pressure – like Graham Potter is at West Ham – the last thing you need is a player from your biggest rivals sticking the boot in.
The Hammers hit a new low when Tottenham Hotspur comfortably beat them 3-0 at the London Stadium.
And that is saying something given the 19 months of rapid regression that has taken place at West Ham United.
The Hammers and struggling manager Potter should actually be grateful to Spurs.
At 3-0 up, and with West Ham down to 10 men, Thomas Frank declared. He made sweeping changes and feathered the brakes with the start of Tottenham’s Champions League campaign in mind.
Champions League indeed. The holy grail of West Ham’s big move from Upton Park to the London Stadium.
Potter back on the ropes at West Ham after Spurs rout
The fact West Ham will bring up a decade in Stratford closer to the Championship – if not actually in it – than Europe’s top competition neatly sums up why fans are so utterly disillusioned.
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Many of those supporters will rally in protest ahead of Saturday’s must-win game against Crystal Palace.
West Ham were warned this season would be one of the most competitive of the last 15 years.
But while the rest of the Premier League, bar Aston Villa, were out breaking the Premier League spending record for a transfer window, West Ham were pleading PSR poverty.
A vote of no confidence in the owners from West Ham’s Fan Advisory Board shows who they feel is ultimately to blame for the situation.
Hammers fans have watched the departure of Daniel Levy from Spurs with envy.
Time will tell whether Levy was truly holding Tottenham back.
But while Hammers supporters renew their fight to remove David Sullivan and Karren Brady, the immediate issue is on the pitch.
And whatever the chaos above him at the London Stadium, Potter should be doing better.
West Ham have won a dismal six times in 24 games under the ex Brighton boss, who was chewed up and devoured by the Chelsea job.
Expectations in east London are nowhere near as voracious – yet Potter is struggling to cope with those too.
Losing at home to Tottenham is a sore one for any Hammers manager. But to roll over and submit so insipidly piles the pressure on Potter.
Word is Potter may have been sacked had West Ham lost to Forest before the international break.
A shock win meant that theory was not tested.
Spurs star trolls Potter over West Ham setup
But the manner of the defeat to Tottenham has seen the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo linked as Potter’s potential replacement at West Ham.
Now a Spurs star has trolled Potter and it will surely have West Ham considering change – in more ways than one.
The jibe comes at a time when pressure is already mounting.
The galling thing for West Ham supporters about the defeat to Spurs was that everyone in the stadium, and those watching at home, could see that first goal coming.
Potter pushing to spend a club record £15.5m fee for a goalkeeper on Mads Hermansen looks even more unfathomable with every passing week.
The Hammers boss is sticking with the Dane, who has such little command of his box that he has earned damning comparisons to Roberto – widely regarded as the worst West Ham goalkeeper of all time.
While the defeat to Spurs was not exclusively Hermansen’s fault, it was clear from the first minute that Frank had specifically targeted the 25-year-old, who is shorter than Lukasz Fabianski and a full 10cm smaller than Alphonse Areola.
Everyone could see that was the case and Hermansen is also not being helped by Potter brainlessly sticking to zonal marking from set-plays.
West Ham have given away a record 32 corners in four Premier League games – conceding from six of them.
If that is not proof something needs to change then what is?
Now Tottenham’s own players are making it clear Potter needs to change his ways.
Being outed by rivals must have West Ham considering change
Joao Palhinha was a big target of West Ham’s before he joined Bayern Munich.
He is back in the Premier League with Spurs and if West Ham valued his talent as a player previously, perhaps they should value his opinion too.
Speaking after helping Spurs to an easy win over West Ham, Palhinha admitted they targeted Hermansen and Potter’s preference for zonal marking.
“It was one of the areas we tried to explore because we knew we were stronger in that moment of the game,” Palhinha told The Athletic.
“We started to put more focus on set pieces and we did well. Congratulations to the coach and staff because sometimes people only speak about the players, but the staff played an important role in this.
“They choose the position for the players (to take up inside the box), so we need to share this moment with them.”
The most astonishing thing is Potter doesn’t seem to see the issue.
After the game the Hammers boss said he felt his side defended corners well and that the zonal marking worked well until the goal.
Surely a Tottenham player coming out and publicly highlighting your biggest weakness will force Potter to change his ways?
If not then it must have the owners thinking of a change of their own.
Whether they could be trusted to make the right appointment to replace Potter is another matter entirely.
Tottenham went out and paid the money to get a coveted manager like Frank. The difference is night and day.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
If Potter does not address this glaring issue then West Ham will find themselves staring into the abyss very quickly.