Graham Potter kicked off his West Ham United spell in the worst possible way, and it could get worse as he now has to prepare for a crucial London derby against Fulham without five key players.
The 47-year-old got the ball rolling with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa that sent the Hammers packing from the FA Cup in the third round, but they also suffered some setbacks.
Niclas Fullkrug pulled up with a hamstring issue just 15 minutes into the game and had to be replaced by Danny Ings, whose performance should force West Ham into the transfer market for a prolific striker.
Despite being on the pitch for over 75 minutes, Ings touched the ball just 14 times and couldn’t even muster a shot on target.
It’s a huge concern that he’s Potter’s only option at centre-forward, with Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen also sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Adding fuel to the fire, Crysencio Summerville failed to emerge for the second half after picking up a “minor” knock, but enough to keep him out of the London derby.
Konstantinos Mavropanos also picked up an issue against Villa and was taken off in the 85th minute. The good news for Potter is that the Greek defender is expected to be fit to face Fulham.
His absence would have added to the already precarious situation as Jean-Clair Todibo continues to work with the physios.
West Ham showed promising signs in Potter’s first game in charge, but the Englishman barely has a fully fit squad to work with, significantly reducing his chances of overseeing a turnaround.
It goes without saying that he needs to be backed this month, starting with a prolific striker to lead the line and a centre-back to shore up a leaky defence.
A number of interesting strikers have been linked with a move to the London Stadium, but West Ham can’t afford to get it wrong.