Alan Smith joined Geoff Shreeves and Carlton Cole on The Debate podcast on Sky Sports and discussed West Ham's latest clashes with Liverpool and Manchester City.

It truly was a tough couple of games for the Hammers, who first had to face Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at the Etihad and then travelled to Anfield to play against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool. Indeed, despite keeping both defeats tight, especially against the Reds, Smith believes that the approach against the Citizens was particularly bad as there was no fight left in them.

Here's what he said about it on The Debate (25/2/2020): "I think the players would have come off the pitch at City really disheartened. It was a soul-destroying approach really. Antonio, at times, was 30 yards away from any teammate and there was never much sign of them playing a part in the contest."

Looking at the stats from that defeat at the Etihad, it's really difficult to disagree with Smith on this rather harsh verdict on the Hammers. After all, 20 shots compared to only three and 77% possession vs 23% really does paint the picture quite starkly and it's safe to say that West Ham were never really in the game. Still, Carlton Cole did argue that keeping the goal difference down could be a good thing, which is a fair argument in itself, but Smith appears to have an issue with that performance in isolation.

Playing against Manchester City is difficult but the clash against Liverpool was still a step in the right direction as they scored twice at Anfield and, despite losing that one 3-2, David Moyes can be happy with the fight and willingness his team showed against the league leaders.

West Ham fans, do you agree with Smith's harsh verdict or do you think the performance at Manchester City was not that bad? Let us know in the comments below!