Written by : Nick Moore

As the goals went in past our weedy defence at Wimbledon it reminded fans why we’ve liked a certain Paraguayan so much this season. Four goals conceded to the side bottom of Division One shows just how poor a number of our defenders are at the main part of their job – defending.

If anything, it’s made us appreciate Fabian Balbuena even more.

It’s surprising that Ogbonna has been receiving quite good reviews since he got back in the team following Balbuena’s injury. Most forwards know that he can be outpaced and that he looks uncomfortable, and never gets close to runners when they run into the corner. Because he knows he can be outpaced, he is reluctant to get tight. Suddenly forwards find themselves able to play round our defenders standing off.

If he is playing on the left side of the defence with Masuaku, we know we are in trouble.

After Wimbledon we now know that our squad depth is in the treatment room rather than on our current bench waiting to get on. Since Balbuena has been out we have looked less organised at the back. We have lost several games that we should have done better in. Diop, still a great prospect, has looked less secure and the quality of his performances has dropped off. Against Bournemouth both centre backs were simply out run for the two goals we conceded.   

The one game that the Diop/Ogbonna combination played well was against Arsenal. In all the other games they have looked like an uncertain combination with a mistake in them.  Diop looks more comfortable, even though he is right footed, playing on the left. On Saturday the whole team – not just the defence – seemed determined to give the Wimbledon players the freedom of the pitch. There was never any pressure on the ball.  When you add to that giving the ball away in midfield as Obiang did you are not going to win many games at any level.

It is often easy to overestimate the value of players when they are missing and we play terribly. In the case of Balbuena this season, it is justified to say he is one of our key players. Last year we had the joint worst defence in the premier league along with relegated Stoke. The improvement this year after our dodgy start, while far from a completed job, is at least encouraging. We currently have the seventh worst defence. (Or if you prefer we are 14th in the defending league table).

The side who have conceded most goals has gone down in every premier league season bar two and we are one of the exceptions from last season. We all obsess about strikers (particularly at West Ham where there is a revolving door to keep them moving in and out). But the truth is you can rise quite high up the table by defending well as Burnley showed last year. When you don’t, as they have shown this season, you drop like a stone. This isn’t about being defensive – it’s about defending.

The two Fabs – Balbuena and ianski – have made a huge impact, particularly as we are set up as a more attacking side this year. One of the problems with great defending is that it can be almost invisible. Marking players properly, tracking runs and staying organised, can easily go under the radar. Balbuena has exuded a quiet authority which seems to spread across the defence. We are not great but we had improved.    

If we were voting for Hammer of the Year now the guess is the great Declan would walk it with Fabianski in second place. Anderson would get some votes for winning games on his own – Southampton for instance – though not as many as he should. Snodgrass would get a few for the greatest comeback since Jon Snow in Game of Thrones – and he seems like great bloke too. Having said that, you’d think Balbuena wouldn’t get many – but he has won a lot of fans over, up until his injury and they’ll be delighted to see him back. The facts that in modern transfer terms he didn’t cost much and that he is our biggest threat at corners are just the icing on the cake.

The Hammers don’t want him rushed back till he is fit, but we’ll all be very pleased to see him return.