Managers in the Premier League are facing unbelievable pressure at the moment and West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has recently worn the look of a worried man.
Zola is just starting out his career, having been handed what appeared to be an attractive proposition at Upton Park. But clearly all is not well with the Hammers, who are facing huge financial problems.
Nobody knows what will happen in January but from a tactical point of view he got things spot on in their 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.
It was interesting to see Zola setting up his side quite deep, leaving no space for the Blues' in-form striker Nicolas Anelka to exploit.
The Hammers defended with two central midfielders protecting their back four in a narrow set-up. Scott Parker and Mark Noble were outstanding and Valon Behrami and Jack Collison provided extra defensive help from the wide positions.
Chelsea soon ran out of ideas and Anelka was forced to come short to look for the ball.
Didier Drogba came on at half-time to give them a different emphasis and they started to feed off each other and that led to the equaliser, but even then West Ham restricted them to very few clear-cut chances.
The visitors should have even won the game through Carlton Cole late on.
Zola has ambitions to play the beautiful game but he showed he is astute as well - picking up a vital point that could have easily been three.
In recent seasons Chelsea have had an unbelievable record at home, but that has all changed of late.
While they have won all eight games on their travels in the Premier League, they have dropped a staggering 14 points at Stamford Bridge.
They are not the only team to suffer from the hiccups at home. Five of the top seven in the Premier League have won more games on the road than their own ground.
Liverpool were the latest side to discover that Hull are no Premier League pushovers, having to come from behind to earn a point.
Phil Brown's side added a draw at Anfield to their impressive scalps at the Emirates, White Hart Lane and St James' Park this season.
It is testament to how well they played that they will feel somewhat disappointed not to win the game and they are well on their way to reaching a safety target with less than half the season gone.
Like West Ham, Hull were organised and they have a great work ethic. The confidence they have gained from their results this season meant they could go to Merseyside with no fear.
It is not a new tactic for teams to defend with numbers when they visit the big clubs.
LAST THREE HOME LEAGUE GAMES
Chelsea
Drew 1-1 with West Ham
Lost 2-1 to Arsenal
Drew 0-0 with Newcastle
Liverpool
Drew 2-2 with Hull
Drew 0-0 with West Ham
Drew 0-0 with Fulham
When I was playing at Arsenal most sides came to Highbury and sat back. The small pitch would suit away sides as it meant they could close off areas around their goal much more easily.
We were fortunate that we had a lot of players with the talent to unlock defences and it would only take a moment of brilliance by someone like Dennis Bergkamp to win a game.
The hope was that we would get a goal in the first 20 minutes and force the opposition to come out and attack.
If that did not happen we would look to mix things up - sometimes the call would come from the coaching staff but often the senior players would decide to make a change.
We would slow the game down, drop off the opposition and let them come out with the ball - hoping to lull them into a false sense of security before hitting them on the break.
Some teams try to steamroller their opponents for the full game and hope they tire in the latter stages, as it is hard work defending for 90 minutes.
Increased fitness levels probably makes it even more difficult these days, although you do still see plenty of late goals. It is often tiredness of brain as much as body that is a factor.
It can cause problems if teams are not willing to adapt. Under Arsene Wenger there would be a great emphasis on us to keep the ball on the ground but sometimes you need to vary your attack - you have to try to get the opposition out of their comfort zone.
Liverpool and Chelsea failed to do that and were fortunate that Manchester United and Arsenal could not take advantage at the weekend.
Lee Dixon was speaking to BBC Sport's Andrew McKenzie
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