OPINION
West Ham handed manager Manuel Pellegrini the perfect gift to celebrate his 65th birthday by earning their first points of the season against Everton.
The Hammers defeated the Toffees 3-1 at Goodison Park on Sunday in order to move off the bottom of the Premier League table.
Pellegrini will be relieved that his side not only grabbed their first win of the season but that they just managed to get some points on the board after losing their first four league fixtures.
However a manager can learn just as much about his team from a victory as a defeat and Pellegrini will no doubt have benefited from watching his side beat the Toffees for more reasons than one.
Forever West Ham has comprised a list of three things that the Hammers would have learned from their performance against the Toffees after beating them 3-1.
Rice must not be dropped
Declan Rice won’t grab the headlines for his performance against the Toffees but he did everything he needed to do in order to run the midfield for his side. The Hammers starlet hasn’t featured in every game this season but clearly the role of defensive midfielder is now his to lose as he looked unfazed by the responsibility that comes with that role. The Hammers have lacked a top-quality defensive midfielder for several season, which have arguably contributed to their terrible record when it comes to conceding, but Rice could be the answer to his prayers. While the Toffees weren’t at their best on Sunday, the 19-year-old still had to be ready in case they turned on the charm as despite their side being depleted due to injuries, there was still quality players featuring for them.
Noble must be axed
Mark Noble may have registered an assist by being the architect of Yarmolenko’s second goal but that shouldn’t mask his performance. The experienced midfielder still looks a yard behind the pace and his passing was very sloppy at times. Noble benefited from playing a Toffees side that weren’t firing on all cylinders and will get exposed if he keeps his place in the first-team. The midfielder showed during his latest display, and the rest of his outings this season, that while his leadership qualities are valuable, he doesn’t exactly deliver the goods on the pitch that he needs to.
Fredericks should be fuming
Ryan Fredericks was completely left out of the Hammers matchday squad once again and he should be fuming. The 25-year-old speed demon would have shone against a disappointing Toffees side and would have easily been able to win over some fans after struggling in his previous outings. Fredericks was also going to struggle when he faced with playing teams such as Arsenal and Liverpool as he didn’t have any Premier League experience ahead of this season but he would have coped with facing the Toffees. Pablo Zabaleta was the right-back Pellegrini ended up going with for Sunday’s clash and he hardly was fantastic despite his side winning so he should be fuming that he didn’t feature against the Toffees. Fredericks, who joined the Hammers from Fulham in the summer, has a hard enough task fitting in at London Stadium as he has to get to grips with playing in England’s top-flight and it’s unfair he keeps being messed around.
