West Ham United have gotten off to a steady start in the Premier League this season despite having Antonio missing from selection for a few games.
When West Ham’s talisman Michail Antonio went off injured against Manchester City, leaving Sebastien Haller as the only fit striker, Irons fans could’ve been forgiven for wringing their hands in despair.
Despite being the club’s record signing at an eye-watering £45 million, Haller has largely failed to live up to the hype since a promising start under Pellegrini last season.
As such, the prospect of relying solely on the Ivorian (by virtue of there being no other striker in the squad), for an extended period of time, had many an Irons fan tossing and turning in their sleep.
Haller had much to do to convince fans of his ability – so a visit to champions Liverpool couldn’t have come at a worse time for his first start of the season.
The forward was duly panned for a rusty and somewhat anonymous performance, where he failed to get on top of Liverpool youngster Nat Phillips in the heart of defence.
But starting at Fulham, the former Eintracht man has showcased some of the skills which convinced the Hammers to shell out a sizeable fee for his services in the first place. He dominated aerially, hitting the bar early with a powerful header at Craven Cottage.
Haller’s deft touches when linking up play, too, have always been a strength, as he showcased many times against Sheffield last week. Slowly, but surely, the Ivorian has been improving – which is only a positive for Moyes and his men.
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Improving Haller can add new dimension alongside Antonio
Haller’s steady improvement will have certainly relieved Moyes, who now knows he can depend on his backup striker too in injury-prone Antonio’s absence. However, with the burly Englishmen’s imminent return to the team, Moyes now faces a tactical quandary in attack.
Instead of dropping Haller, Moyes could drop Jarrod Bowen, and play Antonio alongside him up top, with Pablo Fornals dropping to a deeper, central role.
This could allow Haller to provide flick-ons and lay-offs from crosses to Antonio in the box. Fornals, too, would thrive, being allowed to drop into pockets of space and play passes from deeper in midfield.
Whatever Moyes chooses to do, Haller’s steady improvement and settling into his role is what has allowed his manager to even contemplate choosing a new tactical model. Let’s all hope this is the start of a new chapter in Haller’s time at West Ham.
The Hammers has a tough task on their hands in some Monday night football when they challenge an in-form but inconsistent Aston Villa side who are off the back of a loss against Brighton.