I’m sure I wasn’t the only West Ham United fan to breathe a massive sigh of relief on Saturday evening. It might be our second win of the season but for all we’ve been through in the past few weeks, you could be forgiven for thinking it was our first. I previously wrote about how we saw a new West Ham turn up against Middlesbrough (even if we didn’t win) and a win against Crystal Palace at the weekend provided more evidence to give substance to the claim.
I say a new West Ham, but what I really mean is the old West Ham. The team everyone enjoyed watching last season. The team that performed beyond expectation and outplayed several of the Premier League’s top sides. You know, the team that made us all proud to be a Hammer. Unfortunately, we appeared to have lost that team in the early part of this season but hopefully, they’ve now decided to turn up.
I’m a great advocate of positive thinking. Optimism is a beautiful thing but it should also be diluted with a dose of realism every now and again. A win against Palace is great, but it doesn’t really mean much if we capitulate against Sunderland.
While our primary focus should be on the next game, analysing and evaluating previous performances can also help. After watching the game on Saturday, I came away with three standout points to reflect on. Firstly, all hope is not lost and we will get to where we were last season. It’s just going to take a lot more hard work to get there. Secondly, Aaron Cresswell is capable of making the difference everyone thought he would. And finally, I’m glad the club didn’t stump up £27m (rising to £32m) for Christian Benteke.
The first point is an obvious one. We saw evidence of everything that defined our season last year within the 90 minutes at Selhurst Park. Fast-paced attacking football (granted, it was no way near as free-flowing and effective as last year), some scrappy last ditch defending that just about gets the job done and of course, some terrible refereeing decisions going against us.
There can’t be many fans out there that disagree with the second point. Aaron Cresswell brought some much-needed balance to the team. He adds another dimension going forward and has the pace to make a real difference at the back. One thing we’ve missed this season is someone who has the speed and awareness to nullify the threat of a proper winger. The stability brought about through having Cresswell in the team seemed to greatly effect the performance of everyone else. Even Adrian looked like his former self after a few less than convincing displays.
Finally, and perhaps not so universally accepted, the gratitude for not signing Benteke. I know has bagged a few goals already this season (three more than Simone Zaza – a point I’ll go into more detail with later) but I find him incredibly frustrating to watch and would be pulling my hair out if he played for the team I supported. In a game that is heavily influenced by movement both on and off the ball, Benteke offers very little. Far from a lumbering centre forward, he is quite athletic in build and he has no reason to be so lethargic and immobile. He can hang around in the box and is decent in the air but from all of last season and what we’ve seen this year, that’s all there is to him. I have to mention it, he takes a shocker of a penalty as well.
Now, Simone Zaza. He seems to be dividing opinion already. I’ll put my two pence in straight away, I think he adds something to the team. I think he will become a permanent signing and in time, prove all those early doubters wrong. Early on I wasn’t so convinced but game-by-game, he seems to be growing as a player, adjusting to English football and West Ham’s style of play. To put things into perspective, what do you think Manchester United were getting when they paid £89m for Paul Pogba. What about Chelsea shelling out £50m for Torres?
In my view, we haven’t been ripped off, we’ve signed a complicated deal that isn’t as beneficial to the club as it could be but still gives us time to think and “try before we buy”. Unfortunately, strikers will always be judged on their goal return and until Zaza starts doing that, he is only likely convince the minority that he is worth it. Eight games is an incredibly short amount of time to show your full potential, especially in a new country. Providing he keeps putting in the effort we’ve seen in the last few games, I’m happy to have him at West Ham.
As big a boost as the win at Palace was, it’s now time to move on. The most important game this season is the game against Sunderland. After that, the most important game is the game against Chelsea in the EFL Cup. You get the idea. The recovery from the start we made was never going to be an instant one but the team and coaching staff are beginning to show they are capable of turning it around. We know there’s going to be a few more bumps along the way, but we’ll get there.
COYI!