West Ham United might have salvaged a draw against Burnley last weekend but there is a feeling of discontent around the London Stadium, with the results over the coming weeks likely to shape the club's future.
The Hammers will host Freiburg on Thursday night in a Europa League last-16 tie that they trail by a goal after losing in Germany last week before welcoming Aston Villa to east London at the weekend.
Seventh in the top-flight, West Ham are four points behind Manchester United and just ahead of a wealth of European hopefuls, but David Moyes will be most displeased with his team's lack of defensive solidity against struggling Burnley, sliced open with ease during a dreadful first-half on Sunday that, albeit, saw Moyes' half-time tweaks bring the game level.
West Ham must axe 3/10 star who was as bad as Phillips vs Burnley
David Moyes is under scrutiny once again after a poor performance in the Premier League.
ByAngus Sinclair
Brought in last summer, centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos suffered a nightmare of a game after diverting a cross into his own net to double the Clarets' advantage before the break.
Konstantinos Mavropanos' season in numbers
In fairness, the Greece international has not been a bad signing since arriving from Bundesliga club Stuttgart for £19m, making good on past praise in his "gladiator"-like presence in defence, as said by former boss Pellegrino Matarazzo.
But while he's a tough-tackling, combative titan, winning 69% of his duels in the Premier League this season, as per Sofascore, the former Arsenal player is far too wasteful in possession and this contributes to a lack of control for Moyes' team.
Against Burnley, Mavropanos compounded his own goal with a shocking 58% pass success rate, missing the mark with all eight of his long passes and losing possession 22 times.
Nayef Aguerd is failing to produce the requisite defensive strength either, with The Athletic's Roshane Thomas stating that "defensive errors are holding him back" earlier in the campaign.
It's a shame that the club cashed in on Fulham's Issa Diop, who would surely secure a starting berth for West Ham right now.
Why West Ham sold Issa Diop
Diop decided to leave West Ham in August 2022 after being told he would be the club's fifth-choice central defender for the 2022/23 campaign, with Aguerd arriving from Rennes for £30m.
Fulham, fresh from the Championship, were only too happy to oblige and snapped him up for £15m on a five-year deal as they looked to fortify their ranks and secure top-flight survival.
The 6 foot 4 Frenchman had been described as a “monster” by then-Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho during his first term for West Ham but his career at the club was punctuated with poor performances and he was sold.
Issa Diop's season in numbers
Last year, Diop played a key part in the Cottagers' preservation of top-flight status and started 21 Premier League matches, with The Athletic's Peter Rutzler heralding his "excellent" displays, continuing to impress into the current campaign.
Matches played
15
Clean sheets
3
Pass completion
89%
Tackles per game
1.5
Clearances per game
4.2
Ball recoveries per game
3.7
Duels won per game
3.1 (56%)
Possession lost per game
7.5
As per FBref, the 27-year-old ranks among the top 17% of central defenders in Europe's top five leagues for passes attempted per 90, with an average pass completion rate of 89%.
Mavropanos, by comparison, ranks among the top 42% of centre-backs for passes attempted per 90 with a pass success rate of just 82%, putting him in the lower echelon.
Of course, the 25-year-old's strengths lie in other areas but one can't help but pin down Mavropanos' passing profligacy as his main hindrance.
Diop might have been worth keeping, with his stable displays at Craven Cottage suggesting that he could have offered the composure to allow the more creative players ahead to strut their stuff with a solid foundation behind them.
