We all know that Winston Reid is a good defender and has been a loyal servant to the club, if we skip over the contract palaver last year. There is no doubt that his defensive skills have improved as well as other attributes since he joined West Ham.
However, I’ve noticed that at times, Reid is particularly weak in one specific area of his game. That weakness is passing. Through being at games last season I have realised and may not be the only one, that the New Zealand centre back is pretty poor at passing the ball forward along the ground.
Reid can pass the ball to Cresswell or his other central defende but when he has the ball at his feet for an extended period of time, more often than not he will launch the ball up field to (unless Andy Carroll is fit) a striker who doesn’t win very much in the air.
I was at the West Brom game at Upton Park last season when we drew 1-1. In that particular performance, whilst the team as a whole weren’t brilliant, Reid stood out as one of the worst players on the pitch. I understand that so far this season Reid has defended well but I still see his lack of composure as a problem.
Slaven Bilic said in an interview before the season started that he wanted to play more attacking football. He also stated in an interview, when he was still at Besiktas, that he prefers defenders to pass out from the back.
Winston Reid doesn’t and in my eyes cannot do that. Ogbonna has a good balance between defensive technique and being composed on the ball. I also think that James Tomkins is a centre back who can, if required, pass the ball forward without lumping it up field and losing the team possession.
Of course, Rio Ferdinand is a prime example of a defender who played for West Ham and was brilliant at defending and passing. Ogbonna and Tomkins are closer to Rio Ferdinand’s ability on the ball than Winston Reid. In the Premier League, against any team you need to keep composed and make the correct passes. All defenders in the premier league can pass it across the back line, but you need to be able to keep the ball and not lose possession of the ball unnecessarily, I feel Winston Reid does this too frequently.
This has been a thought of mine since around halfway through last season, I thought that maybe Reid would improve his passing but seemingly he is still losing the ball when he could make a forward pass to a midfielder rather than along to a defender.
I do appreciate that some players are not gifted with vision and cannot read the game, although as a West Ham fan who wants to see players improve and the team play the most attractive style of football possible, I would genuinely rather see Reid attempt an ambitious pass and it not quite work than the ball being kicked up to nobody.
Obviously there is a time and a place for passing, but I just think that it is an integral skill for a defender in the modern game and one which Ogbonna and Tomkins have a better grip on.
To summarise, I am not criticising Reid as a defender, simply highlighting a weakness he has which can cost the team potential chances. Ultimately, I would like to see Ogbonna and Tomkins in a centre back partnership because I think that they both fit the style of play Bilic is attempting to achieve and aren’t as detrimental to the team’s chances to score and retain possession.
Do you agree? Who is the best all-round central defender at the club?
