It’s time for my annual ‘West Ham need a defensive midfielder’ rant. So here goes:

West Ham really, really, really need a defensive midfielder.

Thank you. The 47,409,568th piece of evidence was Saturday’s loss 1-2 to Bournemouth at the London Stadium. The Cherries have been regularly coming from behind to win lately, but not away from home – in fact, they’d only done it once in the previous two years, in a meaningless match on the final weekend of last season. So this was at least 24-point headline news, and a real failure by the Hammers. What happened?

The previous week at Anfield, Manuel Pellegrini had quite reasonably started a three-man central midfield, with Declan Rice, normally a defender, in a holding role alongside Mark Noble. It didn’t work, because 1) they were playing Liverpool; 2) Rice isn’t a holding midfielder, and only played there because West Ham don’t have one, and the closest thing they have – Pedro Obiang – is well out of favour.

But the fixture computer was a bit kinder this past weekend, so Pellegrini decided not to bother with a holding midfielder (not that it mattered, because he didn’t have one), and played 4-4-2. Both Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernández started up front, with Noble and Jack Wilshere in the centre of midfield.

Bournemouth also played two strikers, Callum Wilson and Josh King. But Bournemouth’s 4-4-2 is really a 4-4-1-1, with King in a withdrawn role, exactly in the spot where West Ham’s defensive midfielder would be if they had one. Eddie Howe’s system also allows King to go wide, and the wingers, in this case Ryan Fraser and David Brooks, to come into the middle.

Now go to the match report on Whoscored.com, click on ‘Heatmaps’, and take a look at Bournemouth’s. You’ll see what looks like a huge demonic face about to devour the opposition. And right in the middle of that face is a whacking great schnozzola, firmly planted in the exact hole in West Ham’s midfield.

And that’s the story of the match. With the Hammers playing at home, and committed to attack, and (let me remind you) without a defensive midfielder, Bournemouth found space there at will. Mostly it was on the counter-attack, with the ball coming fast at goal straight down the middle. But there was plenty of room even when the Hammers had time to defend, with Brooks particularly effective getting the ball in that particular space.

A few statistics will help out. Noble and Wilshere together managed just four tackles and one interception the whole match, and only one of the interventions took place in the holding midfielder spot. Josh King had an amazing 63 touches – this for a team that finished with 39.1% possession. His own personal heatmap shows him getting the ball all over the pitch, because there was no one to track him or to block passes coming in to him.

As for specific plays, Bournemouth’s best chance of the first half – in fact the best open play chance either team had all game – came right through the central space. It’s a slow counter, and the defenders have plenty of time to get back, but Brooks just drifts unmarked into the hole and takes a pass from Andrew Surman. When Fabián Balbuena comes out half-heartedly to challenge, Brooks sends a through ball to the striker. It’s the easiest thing imaginable, and Wilson should have put it in the net.

He eventually did, on a play you’ve probably seen already. Five defenders around him and he waltzes in to score. That’s pretty damning (or amusing) as is. But the play starts when Steve Cook sends a laser-guided pass to Wilson, exactly in the central space, insufficiently covered by Mark Noble. Wilson turns, and the rest is history.

The great irony here is that if there’s one Premier League club who need a holding midfielder as badly as West Ham, it’s Bournemouth. That’s always been the Cherries’ main weakness. They’ve been able to get away with it for two reasons: 1) Eddie Howe’s distinctive attacking system allows for a soft spot there; 2) their ambitions have been modest.

But Pellegrini isn’t Howe – Slaven Bilic and David Moyes weren’t either – and West Ham aren’t Bournemouth. This is a club that wants to move up the ladder. And no matter how much money they spend, they won’t be able to do it without a good man in the holding role.

That’s particularly true because of the London Stadium. Everyone knows its defects as a would-be fortress. But you have to attack at home, and if the atmosphere can’t carry you forward, you’d darn well better have someone shutting the back door.

This past summer Eddie Howe finally gave in. In the final week of the window, Bournemouth broke their transfer record to sign Colombia international Jefferson Lerma, who looked promising during the World Cup. If he plays to potential, he’ll be a definite upgrade in that spot.

And now for the punchline. Two days after Bournemouth signed Lerma, West Ham (praise be!) signed a holding midfielder of their own. Another Colombia international, no less. His name? Carlos Sánchez. Sound familiar? Yes it’s that Carlos Sánchez, last seen on these shores getting relegated with Aston Villa. Oh, and he’s 32.

I shouldn’t complain. Football journalism isn’t easy, and this column writes itself every year. By the time Pellegrini’s ready to move on, cut-and-paste should be more than enough.

Peter Goldstein