Max Kilman was a standout performer in Sunday’s draw at Villa Park, with no Villa player successfully dribbling past him all game, whilst looking very comfortable on the ball by completing 94% of his passes.
The summer signing was a rock at the back and kept in-form Villa frontmen, Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins, quiet all game, who have 17 league goals between them this season.
Kilman was the only natural centre-back starting against the Villains following the suspension of Konstantinos Mavropanos, and the ongoing injury of Jean-Clair Todibo. The 27-year-old was at the heart of a back three, accompanying full-backs Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell.
There was no denying the importance of the former Wolves captain taking control of the back line in the game because of these factors, and he most certainly stepped up.
The fact Kilman was able to lead the back line with confidence shows the leadership value he brings to the team and explains why he wore the captain’s armband for Wolves before joining the Hammers last summer.
Kilman’s consistency
Kilman’s reliability is a big reason as to why he’s been a quality addition to the team, with the defender having played every league game this season. This should come as no surprise since he played every minute for Wolves last season.
He also has the most clearances, passes and touches of any West Ham player this season.
Critics will argue that Kilman has perhaps underperformed this season, particularly with the side conceding 44 goals in 23 games, making it the fifth worst defensive record in the league behind the bottom four of Southampton, Ipswich, Wolves and Leicester.
However, with the Hammers having struggled for much of Julen Lopetegui’s spell at the club in a period where there appeared to be a different starting lineup each week, you could argue it would have been hard for any regular defender to perform week in week out in an ever-changing back line. Also, the inconsistency of Todibo and Mavropanos will have undoubtedly had an effect on Kilman’s performances each week.
Despite this, the Englishman has been a rock for the Hammers, and excluding a couple of difficult games such as the 5-2 defeat to Arsenal back in November, he has been a quality defender who so often performs when wearing the claret and blue.
With the side undergoing a transformation under Graham Potter, fans will be hopeful this will also bring more of the best out of Max Kilman.