Back to basics: West Ham can end slump by playing direct football

For once, West Ham supporters at the cavernous London Stadium made the right kind of noise. They had seen enough commitment from their players to get behind them. The chorus of boos and jeers that had become the soundtrack of this sorry Premier League season was replaced by applause and cheers during Friday's 1-1 draw with Leicester City.

But by no means is West Ham out of trouble.

The Hammers reacted well after Marc Albrighton converted an easy tap-in eight minutes into the first half and Cheikhou Kouyate's equaliser on the stroke of half-time was deserved. Unfortunately, West Ham remains winless in the Premier League in nearly two months.

Even an encouraging performance like this one had holes in it. A team struggling to score as much as West Ham cannot ever concede a goal like Albrighton's. The ball was in the back of the net mere seconds after a throw-in. With so many players behind the ball, the whole sequence was avoidable.

The following 82 minutes were energetic but not all that composed, as David Moyes' side still looked like a team short on ideas. The football was poor and the build-up play laborious. When one pass would do, West Ham needed an extra four or five touches.

To no one's surprise, the east London side played its best when it simplified things. A routine set-piece set up Kouyate's header, and tempting crosses into the box caused Leicester the most trouble.

But those moments were few and far between. The quality of crosses was often poor, especially from converted full-back Arthur Masuaku. Andy Carroll, meanwhile, barely found himself in scoring positions. Registering just a single touch in the penalty area, Carroll never offered his teammates a reference point. (And that's arguably the only thing he's good at.) It underlined how much West Ham has missed Javier Hernandez, who can do so much more damage in close quarters.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Even Kouyate felt the need to push forward, playing farther up than Carroll at times. It left Leicester yards of space to attack on the counter. A better team would've punished the host.

No one is asking West Ham to play the kind of expansive football on display at the Etihad Stadium. It's too low on confidence to indulge in that. Doing the basics - and doing them well - is the key to success. By eliminating elementary defensive errors, playing at a high tempo, and improving the accuracy of crosses, it can escape relegation danger.

Moyes has to tap into his players' strengths. Despite all their struggles this season, they've served a Premier League-high five accurate crosses per 90 minutes. If Carroll is more involved in the penalty area, goals will arrive. Hernandez - who's scheduled to return from a thigh injury in two weeks' time - will also help in this department.

Moyes' reputation has taken a massive hit since his firing at Manchester United, and he's far from a tactical wizard, but he showed in a decade at Everton that he has the skills to organise his players. With a difficult schedule ahead - including fixtures against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal - West Ham cannot afford to be fancy.

No one should be guaranteed a starter's role either - regardless of their pay cheque. Moyes understands that. He threatened to drop Marko Arnautovic - one of West Ham's only match-breakers - if he didn't run enough.

That challenge was heeded. The Austrian international was one of the best players on the pitch Friday. His teammates must now follow suit.