Slaven Bilic faces a defensive crisis as Liverpool come to town with his future as West Ham manager in the balance

The Croatian was effectively given two games to save his job after the 3-0 home defeat by Brighton
Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images
Ken Dyer30 October 2017

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic could be without three central defenders for Saturday’s home clash against Liverpool.

James Collins is continuing his recovery from an ankle injury while Winston Reid missed the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace because of a calf strain and Jose Fonte limped off in the second half of that match with a foot injury.

Should none of that trio recover in time for the weekend, Bilic’s choices are limited. His only options are Angelo Ogbonna, who conceded the penalty early in the second half at Selhurst Park which put the home side back in the game, teenager Declan Rice and Cheikhou Kouyate, who is primally a midfielder.

Bilic’s future at West Ham, meanwhile, remains little clearer following Saturday’s draw.

The Croatian was effectively given two games to save his job after the 3-0 home defeat by Brighton, with his team subsequently beating Tottenham 3-2 to go through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

That victory was followed three days later by the draw with bottom club Palace, in which the Eagles grabbed a point in the 97th minute after Michail Antonio gave away possession cheaply in the dying seconds.

West Ham co‑owners David Sullivan and David Gold remain reluctant to make a change in mid-season and are mindful of the fact that, despite the continued negativity, Bilic’s team have lost just two of their past nine matches in all competitions.

West Ham’s England goalkeeper Joe Hart described the way in which West Ham conceded the late goal “unprofessional” while Bilic said: “In the last couple of minutes we made some wrong decisions. All we had to do is keep it but we didn’t and that makes it frustrating.

In Pictures | Crystal Palace vs West Ham | 28/10/2017

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“It was a positive week overall but we are gutted about the manner in which we conceded the second goal.”

West Ham captain Mark Noble was involved in a spat with Yohan Cabaye after the game when the Palace player refused the shake hands.

He said: “I’ve played more than 400 games and I have had many battles with many players but you always shake hands afterwards. I didn’t like his attitude.”

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