Hammers squad depth on show as new boys shine in stalemate

Article by Brandon Freeman

Monday night’s meeting at the KC stadium was billed by many as a must-win game for Big Sam as the hammers hierarchy appeared to be losing faith in the lack of attacking football on show in West Ham’s dismal 3-1 home loss to Southampton. However, such fears may well have been allayed following a lively and vibrant performance from Allardyce’s men in the Monday Night football. The most impressive aspect on show at Monday night’s game was our squad depth. Even with a sizable injury list which includes Captain Kevin Nolan and record signing Andy Carroll, Big Sam was able to put out a side which included three top-scorers in their respective leagues last season in Mauro Zarate, Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho. The attacking options available to Big Sam before the game meant that the team-sheet was full of all the pace and flair that West Ham teams have been missing in previous seasons and to have players like Alex Song and Morgan Amalfitano starting on the bench shows the strength in depth the squad now boasts. Given the sterner competition for places we are now likely to see a squad in which no player will be content to give a substandard performance and expect to get a regular run in the first-team, unlike last season when injury meant the team virtually picked itself.

More impressive than the plethora of quality all throughout the squad was the performance of the 11 players who started the game. Although the defence did look vulnerable at times during the match and lacked the necessary resilience to keep a clean sheet, going forward the players certainly didn’t lack any ideas, which was often the case last season meaning that despite our dominance in games, our predictability and lack of attacking quality meant we scored just 38 goals all season. Stewart downing, Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho were the pick of the bunch, making powerful threatening runs forward and peppering the Hull City box with dangerous crosses which unfortunately couldn’t be turned in. And then to go in at half-time 1-0 was a clear example of what we failed to do against Tottenham on the opening day of the season which is take the lead when we are on top. However, those calling for Big Sam’s head and shouting that most infamous phrase “typical West Ham” were soon silenced due to Enner Valencia’s spectacular strike which astonished both sets of fans and mangers alike. I have to admit, prior to Valencia’s wonder strike I did fear that the club may have wasted a significant sum of money on a player who wasn’t suited to the Premier League and would turn out to be a flop. However, Valencia’s display against Hull was a clear indication of what the Ecuadorian striker is capable of when given time to influence the game. Now although it would be wrong to solely judge Valencia on one good performance his astonishing display against Hull certainly bodes well for the future and means that Andy Carroll may well have some difficulty wining his place back in the team given Valencia’s display which showcased his pace and skill as well as his aerial ability.

Another new boy who I was hugely impressed with was Diafra Sakho. The 24 year-old was able to net his second West Ham goal by showing some great awareness to latch onto Downing’s cross and drill a shot in to bottom corner, albeit via a helpful deflection. Sakho also looked incredibly sharp both on and off the ball and showed great strength and desire to win his aerial battles. Like Valencia, I also feared Sakho may turn out to become something of a flop given our recent history of signing striker’s unproven in major leagues, Modibo Maiga and Wellington Paulista spring to mind. I also feared that Sakho may have been somewhat of a panic buy by the chairmen given our striker shortage and the relatively small fee the player arrived for, however so far Sakho has shown all the necessary signs that he may well become a talisman for West Ham this season alongside Enner Valencia, meaning that Andy Carroll may become a bonus for West Ham to have, rather than a necessity.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s game against Liverpool, I am feeling optimistic that we can upset the odds if we can combine the attacking play we saw against Hull with the defensive resilience we saw in our last draw against Chelsea.

What were your thoughts on West Ham’s draw against Hull, and what improvements need to be made ahead of Saturday’s game against Liverpool? Leave your comments below and follow our e-west ham Twitter page @e_westham for the latest news, views and match day build-up, all things West Ham.

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