OPINION
There was one player that West Ham United missed more than any other in their defeat to Everton last time out and that was their captain Mark Noble.
The Hammers looked lost in the middle of the park against the Toffees, with Pedro Obiang woefully failing to be an adequate replacement for the 31-year-old in his team’s dismal 2-0 defeat.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini revealed after the game that Noble had been dropped due to personal reasons but, assuming those issues are now sorted, the Chilean must recall the West Ham stalwart against Chelsea on Monday.
It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s hard to see Pellegrini’s team standing a chance against their London rivals if Noble is once again omitted. He is absolutely key to this Hammers side, that was revealed in his absence, and so he must get the nod at Stamford Bridge.
Declan Rice performed well in the circumstances against Everton, but we all know that the 20-year-old does his best work when Noble is alongside him. Pitting those two players together will give West Ham a big chance to win the midfield battle.
Given how badly Obiang played last time out, it would be a major surprise to see Noble’s name not in the starting line up. Pellegrini is an intelligent guy, he’ll know that he needs his skipper for this one.
At some point the Hammers will need to find an upgrade for the Englishman and move on from him, but they haven’t done that yet. Until that time, Noble, who earns £50,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), remains a must-start in big games like Monday’s.
Pellegrini needs to be sensible and reinstall his captain into the starting line up against Chelsea. If Noble does start then he could help the Hammers defy the odds and get a win over their London rivals to get their form back on track.
