During the Arsenal match Dimitri Payet highlighted why he is going to be such a key player for West Ham United this season. He has already shown that he can bring a number of qualities to the team which will be highly beneficial for the season.
The last two campaigns West Ham have struggled to have that key playmaker, someone who controls the movement of the ball, starts the attacks and has a natural talent to confidently set the pace for the team.
Dimitri Payet could well be the player to bring all this to West Ham United. Playing in his centre attacking midfield role against Arsenal, Payet showcased good ball movement, great foot work and most importantly an awareness of when and where to play the ball. This was very refreshing for fans watching the team play the ball from the back and up the middle rather then the long ball tactic. This play style was very positive in the last 15 minutes of the match.
Rather then hitting the ball up field and losing possession West Ham were playing the ball out wide or even going on runs after making important tackles. This ensured that possession was kept for longer, shortened the number of attacks the team had to defend and frustrated Arsenal by keeping them off the ball. Most importantly by playing the ball like this it reduced the chance of conceding goals and letting the win slip, something West Ham were notorious for last season.
Sloppy passing has also been a problem last season and with Payet and Reece Oxford completing 81% and 95% of their passing respectively the Hammers enjoyed a more even split of the possession in the first half. If this wasn’t enough to bring to the table Payet could prove very useful when taking set pieces.
While Mark Noble and Stewart Downing have fulfilled this role and created a number of chances, there always seemed a lack of flare and creativity to the teams free kicks and corners. Payet demonstrated with his skilful and dangerous free kick against Arsenal that he can deliver threatening crosses to trouble defenders.
The flight of the ball lured Petr Cech into making a mistake and allowed for Cheikhou Kouyate to snatch the ball into the back of the net. Payet assisted seventeen times last season and scored seven. If he can link up well with Sakho and Valencia it could provide West Ham with a lot of goal scoring opportunities.
While one game may have only been played Payet has shown a lot of important abilities that will be fundamental to West Ham having a successful season. If he can stay fit he will provide a new style of play and a range of options that the Irons have needed for a long time.
