The game against Leicester City began with a collective feeling of optimism amongst the fans on the back of the exceptional result at the Emirates but the performance was below par. Leicester were confident in attack and with new signing Shinji Okazaki, their attacking line has pace and skill. Okazaki got the first goal and Mahrez the second and the linkup between the two and Albrighton and Vardy was a real positive in the opposition’s play, something that we could not really get on top off.
Dimitri Payet grabbed his first Premier League goal in addition to his wonderful assist against Arsenal which really raised the atmosphere around the Boleyn ground but we were obviously unable to get the equaliser and Adrian getting sent off in the dying minutes ensured that it was going to be a day with few positives. Darren Randolph will now play in goal (unless the club sign another goalkeeper) against Bournemouth, who scored 8 past him in their last meeting, as well as Liverpool and Newcastle.
There were a few good points as I said; one was Ogbonna, who looked solid despite being part of a defence that conceded two goals. He was able to dictate the tempo of play during the second half in particular and he always looked confident in his ability. With more of the same, it looks as if we have made a really good acquisition in the Italian international. Pedro Obiang replaced young Reece Oxford at half time and his performance was promising. His ability to control the pace of the game and to switch the ball from one side to another to relieve pressure was evident and hopefully he can continue in that vein as it seems as though the Alex Song deal has slowed down for one reason or another.
Our performance highlighted the need for further investment and, in my opinion; we are in dire need of a striker, a winger and a central midfield player. At half time I looked at our bench to see what we could do to add a bit of an attacking intent to the squad and to be honest our options were Nolan and Maiga, who are just not good enough, as well as Lanzini, and the jury is still out on him. So far the transfer business has been good but I hope we are still very active in the remaining days as I do worry that we will struggle to see off the ‘lesser teams’, something that is crucial if we are to finish in the top half.
As always join the conversation below and share your views on the performance, the result, transfers and all things West Ham.
COYI!
