When Mauro Zarate put the ball past Arsenal new boy Petr Cech on the opening day of this premier league season it looked as though that goal could be the first of many, and that one of the many outcasts of Big Sam’s final squad was ready to push on under Slaven.
That performance however was followed up by a somewhat underwhelming display against Leicester conjoined with an injury later that same week.
Cue the arrival of his countryman Manuel Lanzini, a player Bilic has admired for years, who was an actual new signing as appose to the theoretical references to Zarate’s new lease of life.
Lanzini came on to make his debut in the disappointing home defeat to Bournemouth and immediately began to show likenesses to a certain other Argentine in our squad, from that game there was an early indicator that the man dubbed ‘the jewel’ had a knack for dribbling and another slightly annoying knack of always trying to beat another man much like Zarate.
Worse still at just 5ft 6 it seemed he did not have the physicality for this league. However, that initial viewing was rubbished when Mr Bilic handed Lanzini his first start in English football at Anfield, a venue where we hadn’t tasted victory in over 50 years. But it soon became clear that this was no gamble and that the replacement for Mauro Zarate had in fact been strategically placed into the team with the intent on causing the Liverpool defence hell for as long as possible!
Just three minutes into the game the jewel had opened his account for the Hammers and grew and grew as the game went on, assisting the second after persistent play on the left and finally departing to a hero’s applause late in the second half.
Both Zarate and Lanzini have already impressed this season so it will be interesting to see who Slaven Bilic elects to play against Newcastle with Zarate returning to full fitness and Lanzini captured scoring outrageous goals in training.
Personally I would keep faith with Lanzini, as it would seem as though he is a player who is growing in confidence and could in my opinion follow up his dismantling of the Liverpool back four with a similar showing against the Magpies.
Who should start? Can the team accommodate both players?
