There has been a lot of noise about West Ham challenging for a place in the top four this season, some of it justified, some a little overblown. Claims that this is the best squad since David Sullivan and David Gold bought the club in January 2010 need to be contextualised given the questionable decisions that preceded the recent heavy spending and while Manuel Pellegrini’s side looked equipped to push the elite when they beat Manchester United 2-0 last month, it is worth remembering Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side are not exactly the force of old at the moment.
Tread with caution. There have been three wins from eight games, the other victories coming against Norwich and Watford, 19th and 20th in the table respectively. It is nothing to get carried away about and it should also be pointed out West Ham did not have to play that well to beat a mediocre United, who had chances to make it 1-1.
There was more fortune when West Ham travelled to Bournemouth a week later, Aaron Cresswell’s equaliser coming moments after Callum Wilson had spurned a glorious opportunity for a 3-1 lead. That would have been game over and Wilson’s profligacy was part of a trend Pellegrini cannot ignore. Although his team convinced in victory over promoted Norwich, there were escapes in other games and the reality check arrived when Crystal Palace ended West Ham’s five-match unbeaten run with a late fightback at the London Stadium this month.
It was a deflating defeat for West Ham, who need consistency if they are to take advantage of Chelsea’s transfer ban and problems at Arsenal, Tottenham and United, but perhaps it was one they needed. They remain a work in progress, dazzling one minute and sloppy the next, and it is not just at the back where there is room for improvement. Eleven goals from eight games is a disappointing return from a vaunted attack, especially as West Ham have faced five teams in the bottom half.
The sense is of a mercurial forward line grasping for greater conviction and no player epitomises that more than Felipe Anderson. Which is not to say that the Brazilian is a flop, only that at his best he has the talent to be the difference between another mid-table finish and a push for European qualification.
Anderson has fared well since his £37m move from Lazio in 2018. He was West Ham’s record signing at the time – they broke it again when they paid £45m to bolster their attack with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Sébastien Haller last summer – and he had an encouraging debut season in English football, scoring 10 goals in all competitions and registering four assists in the league. He sparkled in home wins over Arsenal and United and hit a purple patch in the winter, scoring sublime solo goals in wins over Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Southampton.
Quick but not blessed with searing pace, Anderson’s close dribbling allows him to hold on to the ball when he is running down the left and he is capable of embarrassing defenders with his quick wit. There have been plenty of soft little nutmegs and no end of backheels, stepovers and clever passes. It can be an intoxicating mix.
Yet the 26-year-old dipped as the season wore on and he has not offered as much incision in recent months. One league goal in 2019, scored in a 2-1 defeat at United in April, is not good enough.
A strange miss from close range against Palace revealed a player struggling for confidence in front of goal. Yet the former Lazio player cannot be accused of not contributing. He has three assists in the league this season, as many as Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino, and would have joined David Silva on four had Manuel Lanzini not shot wide from his pass against Palace.
On the other hand it is two months since he made a goal for Haller, a target man who has stepped into the void left by the more unpredictable Marko Arnautovic. The relationship between West Ham’s two most expensive players clearly needs some work, though in fairness they have not been helped by some underwhelming displays from their teammates.
Andriy Yarmolenko’s quality left foot has brought him three goals cutting in from the right but the Ukrainian lacks speed. Lanzini, Pellegrini’s first choice in the No 10 role, is returning from a knee injury. The £24m Pablo Fornals is still settling. Michail Antonio is injured.
West Ham’s slow approach play against Palace was a problem and they were at their best when they quickened the pace in the moments before Haller opened the scoring. The move was sparked by Anderson, starting a spell of sharp one-touch passing with a clever flick before charging down the left to get his team up the pitch. Too often, however, he struggled to shake off diligent Palace defending.
Pellegrini’s irritation was high at the end. Anderson has dipped in and out, pulling Norwich apart but toiling in a goalless draw with Aston Villa, and he needs to respond when West Ham visit lowly Everton, who will be missing the suspended Seamus Coleman at right-back. Pellegrini constantly talks about West Ham needing to think like a big team but the difference is that big players perform week in, week out. The challenge, particularly for Anderson, is taking that next step.
