West Ham Fan View: Three things we learnt from the draw against Burnley

Burnley 1-1 West Ham. Here are three things that we learnt from the game…

Andy Carroll does not repay Slaven Bilic’s faith in him

Fans are undoubtedly divided on Andy Carroll and whether he deserves a place in our starting eleven. But Bilic has shown his faith in Carroll this season though he was let down today and Carroll did cost us.

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READ MORE: How Burnley v West Ham unfolded

Carroll was sent off after only 27 minutes following two yellows in the space of two minutes for the same challenge. With his suspension, we may see Diafra Sakho come back into the side and this may be for the good of the team. Carroll has not scored or assisted once this season and he has put in some poor performances. Will Diafra Sakho cement his place in the starting eleven if he gets his chance next week?

Slaven Bilic shows a change in mentality

It wouldn’t have been a surprise for Bilic to field a more defensive line-up this afternoon. Our away form has been very poor but to our surprise, Bilic decided to go on the front foot and field a very attacking line-up. We saw Manuel Lanzini partner Cheikhou Kouyate in midfield with Marko Arnautovic, Michail Antonio, Andy Carroll, and Javier Hernandez all starting – and it nearly paid off.

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We showed the urgency that we have needed to show all season. From kick-off, we were not afraid to attack Burnley and our confidence was slowly increasing. The slick combinations that were on display between Antonio, Hernandez, and Lanzini were what we have wanted to see all season. Antonio once again put in a good performance and has finally scored his first goal of the season, with a calm and composed finish . With Lanzini back and Antonio off the mark, will we see another attacking line-up next week?

Did we expect any different?

Our defence was highlighted as being our major weakness going into the season and our first few games did little to change that view. Our defence has improved and despite the draw, we did put in a good defensive performance. But it was hard to expect any different following Carroll’s sending off. It was always going to be hard playing with 10 men for 60 minutes and gaining a point after that was crucial.