David Moyes’s bubble is in danger of bursting at downbeat West Ham

Individually, none of West Ham’s first three Premier League games of the season have been that bad. They were extremely unfortunate to lose at Nottingham Forest, there’s little shame in losing to Manchester City, and Brighton can be awkward opponents for any side, but especially West Ham, who now haven’t beaten them in 11 attempts. All together, though, these three defeats with no goals scored have West Ham bottom of the table. Sunday’s meeting with a struggling Aston Villa comes with a distinct sense of pressure.

There were boos at full time at the London Stadium last Sunday. They were probably born of frustration at that day’s performance rather than at anything more general, but West Ham have now lost eight of their last 10 games, the only win coming against a doomed Norwich.

Context is important: there was fatigue towards the end of last season and the focus clearly and understandably switched to the Europa League. Nobody could seriously question the job David Moyes has done since returning to the club.

But what if West Ham lose at Villa? They have Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle in the three games after that, all of which could be lost without doing very much wrong. By next month’s international break this could feel like a relegation battle, one that could only be hindered by the Europa Conference League. A group-stage slog against FCSB of Romania wouldn’t have quite the allure of those grand nights against Sevilla and Lyon in the Europa League last season.

Perhaps that is to say nothing more than that the path for clubs of West Ham’s stature is difficult. Improving on sixth or seventh is almost impossible; while survival is never guaranteed. Boasts about the competitiveness of the Premier League often feel