Darren Bent has admitted that he is baffled by Felipe Anderson’s current lack of form for West Ham.
The Brazilian has struggled to recapture the kind of momentum that he enjoyed during his first year in England so far this term, and has yet to hit the back of the net in the Premier League.
Speaking Football Insider, Sky Sports pundit Bent said: “I think Felipe Anderson – he’s shown signs before that he can tear people apart and he’s doing the complete…
“Honestly, I don’t get it, he’s got everything; he’s quick, strong, can dribble, can shoot but for whatever reason…
“Look, I get it, when things aren’t going well for you it’s a hard place to play, West Ham, fans are on your back, it’s difficult. He’s been there long enough, you need to learn to deal with that.”
OPINION
Anderson is enduring an odd season so far. On the one hand, he isn’t performing at his most ruthless in front of goal, and there have been games when he has been so poor that he has been hooked off a lot earlier in proceedings than you might expect for a player of his quality. Similarly, he has marginally fewer shots on goal and fewer key passes per game than he did last season, as per Whoscored. On the other hand, he has got more successful dribbles and is registering an identical Whoscored rating of 7.23. In that sense, has he really dipped that greatly? When you then factor in the fact that he has three assists already, compared to four from the entirety of last term, you have to wonder whether things actually are as bad as they first appear. Sure, he hasn’t set the world alight, but his overall level of output is being tarnished by the occasional shocker. Give him time and he will sort it out.
