David Moyes has managed to alleviate some of the concerns brought about by West Ham's goal-less and point-less start to the season.
During the half-time break at Villa Park this afternoon, it seemed as if that run may very well continue. It was a major step up from the Hammers following the interval, majorly thanks to a change of formation - leading to Pablo Fornals earning the visitors all three points.
On the other hand, Aston Villa's supporters - who would have expected a significantly better output than just three points from their first four opening fixtures, will be left very frustrated with their team's inability to kick on from their dominant first half performance.
Contrasting halves symbolise Villa's inconsistency
Aston Villa were the team in the ascendancy in the first 45 minutes at Villa Park. Even though, barring Ezri Konsa's disallowed goal from a Villa corner and an Ollie Watkins header, chances weren't coming left, right and centre for the hosts, it looked like they were the ones bound to make a breakthrough in the second half.
With significant investment being made by the Aston Villa hierarchy in the last few seasons, this squad is one which has plenty of quality in it. Names such as Phillipe Coutinho, Danny Ings, Boubacar Kamara, Lucas Digne, among others, wouldn't go amiss in the lineup of some of the clubs within the Premier League 'big six'.
However, a 14th placed finish last season, compounded by a slow start to the 2021/22 campaign, makes a serious case for the argument that Villa are currently an underperforming team.
At their best, they look like a team capable of competing with and getting results off of any team in the league - their first half dominance today was a demonstration of that. Unfortunately, they are also so often vulnerable to performing way below the standard which their squad commands.
We saw the best & worst of Aston Villa today - a hugely positive first half performance, followed by a serious drop in their levels after the break.
Pressure to ramp up on Gerrard
As ever, a poor run of form from a team will leave their manager vulnerable to bearing the brunt of the public's criticism.
As mentioned already, a 14th placed finish last season and an underwhelming start to this campaign may be considered an underachievement, for a team which has an abundance of talented players across the pitch.
It is now just three wins in 15 Premier League games for Aston Villa. There were a few audible boos following the final whistle today, with Villa now having to face the so-far-perfect Arsenal and unbeaten champions Manchester City in the next two games. Barring a surprising result or two, they may very realistically be sitting on an uncomfortable three points from six games.
If things turn out that way, Gerrard's job may become at significant risk, if it isn't already.
Scamacca signing will help Antonio
It may seem a bit puzzling at first glance. However, Gianluca Scamacca's signing will provide Michail Antonio with the ability to manage his game time and be near his physical best with the game time that he will have.
Antonio is a player who relies heavily on his impressive physical attributes. After a brilliant start to the 2021/22 season, his goal scoring form faded rapidly and abruptly, following West Ham's fixture list piling up, due to their Europa League participation. A lack of a natural striker in the squad to rotate with Antonio meant he had very little opportunity for rest.
Scamacca may very well end up being West Ham's first choice striker. The Italian has already managed a couple of goals from his starts in both legs of their UEFA Conference League play-off against Viborg. His performance today was also an impressive one.
However, Antonio was able to come on in the latter part of today's game and make a strong impression himself. His freshness allowed him to use his impressive physicality to cause serious issues for Callum Chambers and Ezri Konsa in the Villa defence. A more rested and fresh Antonio this season, thanks to a shared workload between him and Scamacca, will only be a positive for West Ham this season.
Three centre back system may not be the way forward
West Ham have experimented with a three centre back system fairly rarely in the past year or so. The more familiar 4-5-1 was abandoned for Thursday evening's UECL play-off second leg at Viborg and at the start of today's game, in favour of the alternative option.
The first 45 minutes was a very poor one for West Ham. The hosts dominated the game and the Hammers failed to make any kind of significant ground, looking a team completely devoid of confidence and quality.
Their poor league start seemed set to continue. However, Moyes' decision to revert to the back four for the second half inspired a much improved performance. As a result, they looked a lot more like the team which has managed back-to-back European finishes in the last two league campaigns, posing much more of an attacking threat.
While the three centre back system doesn't have to be completely abandoned from now, it would be slightly surprising to see it return for the start of the crucial London derby against Tottenham, on Wednesday night.
