OPINION
It is no secret that West Ham United midfielder Samir Nasri caused a divide amongst the fans when he signed for the club in January.
He has shown glimpses of his greatness on occasions, but he then lets himself down by submitting an abysmal performance not long after.
Robert Snodgrass has kept him out of the team, and now that Manuel Lanzini is in the picture, his chances are dwindling as we speak – or are they?
Fans could not get enough of Lanzini last week after the 2-0 win over Newcastle, and why wouldn’t they? It was one of his first games back after an almighty injury lay-off and he looked like he had never been away.
So how do you solve a problem like Samir Nasri?
Well, after his teammates’ underwhelming – woeful, even – displays on Saturday in the 2-0 loss to Cardiff, there is now a chance for him to step in and take the reins, and most importantly, show off to boss Manuel Pellegrini.
Snodgrass was anonymous, ineffective and useless – Lanzini was invisible and woeful too. So what better way to get into the team than capitalising on the mistakes of those ahead of you in the pecking order.
Lanzini’s display against Newcastle would no doubt have caused Nasri to sweat profusely, and it may have sparked him to think that his chances were slowly running out at the London Stadium, however, he must think again.
He needs to stake his place in the first team if he is given the chance to do so by the manager, and this time, he must grab the opportunity firmly with both hands, unlike he did in the defeat to Manchester City a few weeks ago.
Fingers crossed he has learned his lesson since then, because he is not going to get a better chance than this to potentially earn him a place at West Ham next season.
