The survival arithmetic facing West Ham United is perilous enough without a glaring structural weakness following them into the final five matches of the season.
Yet that is precisely the situation Nuno Espírito Santo’s side find themselves in: struggling to defend set-pieces and having conceded more from these situations than any other club this term.
The fragility was visible from the very first weeks of the campaign. Three of Chelsea’s goals in one of West Ham’s early home fixtures stemmed from corners alone, with marking at the near post alarmingly loose and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen compounding matters by colliding with his own players when attempting to punch clear.
The largely man-to-man defensive set-up has looked chaotic all season, and the arrival of Nuno in September did nothing to arrest the slide. West Ham have simply not reacted quickly enough to second balls — a rudimentary failing that has been ruthlessly exploited week after week.
The fixture list offers precious little mercy. West Ham host Arsenal, arguably the best side in the world at dead-ball situations. Then comes the trip to St James’ Park. Newcastle’s 14 non-penalty set-piece goals highlight their aerial dominance. Brentford away carries similar dangers, with the Bees registering one of the highest set-piece expected goals figures in the division.
For a side hovering nervously above the relegation places, conceding from a corner or free kick is no longer a minor grievance. Unless Nuno can find an urgent solution from dead-ball situations, West Ham’s run-in may well be defined not by their open play, but by the moments their opponents have the ball standing still.