Liam Manning says his West Ham United side need to learn to deal with set-pieces quickly after suffering a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Yeovil Town.
The Hammers U21s were beaten by the League Two side at Huish Park on Tuesday evening, ending the team’s run in the Checkatrade Trophy for another season.
A major disappointment for the side, and Manning, was the nature of the goals conceded, with three of Yeovil’s finishes coming from set plays.
“It was a difficult evening,” Manning told whufc.com. “Three of their four goals were from set pieces which was disappointing. We keep talking about a learning curve but we’re at the point now where we have to learn quickly.
We keep talking about a learning curve but we’re at the point now where we have to learn quickly.
Liam Manning
“We’ve got to learn not to give cheap free-kicks away in the back half of the pitch and we’ve got to make we are set up appropriately, and we’re doing our jobs and we are focused on what our roles are on the set-pieces. We didn’t do that against Yeovil.
“I think, if we look at the manner of the goals we have conceded this season, too many of them are too cheap and too soft. When we’re playing against a senior team like Yeovil Town, who will place a big emphasis on set-pieces in League Two, we have to be able to cope with it, and we didn’t.
“We will go away and look at the goals but ultimately, we’ve got to learn quickly and stop these things from happening.”
One positive for the Irons was a strong showing in midfield for captain Moses Makasi, who continued his return from injury with the full 90 minutes against the Glovers.
Manning reserved praise for the midfielder for his leadership and efforts in Tuesday’s game.
Manning continued: “Moses’ target was January in terms of getting as fit as possible. He did really well at Plymouth at the end of last season before the injury he had. It was great to see him playing like that tonight.
“He had the engine, and the way he led was an example to some of the younger players in the team. He’s a great character on and off the pitch and he’s getting better every week.”
With a Premier League International Cup fixture against Dinamo Zagreb next for West Ham, Manning knows there is work to do for his side in the next week on the training pitches.
He added: ““We’ll review the game, and we’ll address the issues that keep coming up. The next game is a big one against Zagreb next week.
“We’re out of this tournament but if we win that game, we go through, so there’s a lot of incentive.”