With new signing Victor Moses and fellow new boy Michail Antonio coming in it would seem as though the Hammers have a new lease of life.
For years Big Sam has toyed with us going to the extreme lengths of signing two England internationals in Stewart Downing and Matt Jarvis turning the former into a number 10 and the latter into a winger that wouldn’t get into a Sunday league team!
The deception of Big Sam actually playing with width was criminal. But with the introduction of a new man at the helm it seems as though our pleas for this desired width have been answered.
Victor Moses is as direct as you like, shown by his lung-bursting assist against Newcastle and Lanzini is as technically good as any player in our team and seems to have a sense of flair that we haven’t seen since the days of versatile wingers such as Yossi Benayoun.
This new system put into action by Slaven allows us to play free-flowing counter-attacking football, a revelation that is down to the impact of having out-and-out wingers, something we have not had for a long time.
Another benefit is that with pace out wide we now have a better transition from defence to attack and the players we have brought in seem to have the killer-instinct necessary to capitalise on these new-found chances.
Our next game away at Crystal Palace will be a staunch test for this newly-employed system. It is more than likely that Lanzini will be up against the attacking full back that is Pape Souare, with Palace old boy Victor Moses going up against former Liverpool man Martin Kelly or unsung hero Joel Ward.
It should be an entertaining game in which both teams will look to use the width and widen the play as it seems to be a successful trait for both teams.
Finally, although I expect to see Manuel Lanzini start and have been more than impressed by his start to life in East London I can’t help but have a desire to see Antonio start his first Premier League game for the Club. We will then be able to pass valid verdicts on the man we spent 7 million pounds on.
The ability he has shown at previous clubs ( pace power and a general direct sense of play ) could all be decisive factors against a Palace team high on confidence and could give a new edge to Slaven Bilic’s widening style of play.
