OPINION
West Ham may not have tasted victory in the league as of late but they were aiming for that to change when they hosted Burnley at the London Stadium.
It was an eventful game between the two Premier League sides as despite the Hammers dominating for large portions of the match, the clash ended 4-2 to make Manuel Pellegrini sweat about his side getting the result they deserved.
Manuel Pellegrini would have learnt lot from his side’s latest display and hopefully he will be able to put his new found knowledge to good use.
Forever West Ham have rounded up three things learned about the Hammers from their display against Burnley:
West Ham’s midfield is fragile
When Pedro Obiang went down and stayed down from a Ben Mee challenge in the opening ten minutes, it was a worry. Pellegrini has a long list of midfielders on the injury list, including summer recruits Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez, so one more injury would be nearly impossible to bare. Thankfully Obiang was okay and the stretcher was quickly put away, but the fact that one injury can cause such a heart in the mouth moment says it all. There’s not much the Hammers manager can do to address this problem, apart from search the academy for potential hidden gems to use as cover, but it’s clear the club need to sign new midfielders in January in order for cover to be provided.
Anderson impressed
Felipe Anderson was a sensation against Burnley. In previous outings the winger has looked like the pressure to perform at the London Stadium was too much for him, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday. In fact Anderson raised his game and seem to relish the crowd reacting to every twist and turn in what was an eventful game. Hopefully this is a turning point for the Brazilian after some disappointing displays as when he is able to shine, he shines ridiculously bright. The Hammers need Anderson consistently delivering the goods in order to be fired up the table and after a confidence-boosting outing, they will surely get their wish.
Aaron Cresswell took his chance
Pellegrini has had a headache all season regarding the position of left-back but that has been cured by Cresswell’s latest display. The 5ft 6in tall flyer (Source: Transfermarkt) probably was holding his hands up after Burnley’s first goal on Saturday but aside from that look defensively sound. Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku have previously let their side down when deployed at left-back but the 28-year-old proved against the Clarets that he was capable of not being a liability. Cresswell was tested on a few occasions but stood firm, and was actually not caught out of position for once in a match as he ensured that he gave himself enough time to get back in position to stop Burnley scoring. The 28-year-old has always been a threat going forward but has been questionable defensively to say the least. However it seems his latest display proves he is the cure for Pellegrini’s headache.
