West Ham have a large number of players who are able to play on the wing not only comfortably but highly effectively which makes the places very contended. Because of injuries, however, a first team place opened up for Michail Antonio and he certainly proved he should keep it as well as his quality since West Ham beat Manchester City.
The injuries to Andy Carroll and Diafra Sahko required Enner Valencia to play up front, who shone in the new role, and with a further injury to Manuel Lanzini, a reshuffle of the team opened a space for Antonio. Victor Moses took the left wing and Antonio continued to fill in for Valencia on the right for what was going to be his hardest match for the Hammers. Having scored against Southampton and Liverpool, two goals in eight league appearances has given him a good record for West Ham considering his lack of game time.
Playing Manchester City is no easy task but with the Hammers having their best season for a long time this team were certainly capable of taking the three points. Putting the City defence under a barrage of runs he constantly made space throughout this match and linked with Dimitri Payet and Cheikhou Kouyate well to move the ball around. He was piling on the pressure throughout the match and combining his speed with strength aloud West Ham to win far more of the loose balls and take possession back quickly. There have been many occasions where Antonio has out muscles fullbacks leading to further chances. With Sakho and Valencia having the pace to keep up they can offer a passing option or help pull defenders to create space. When they link well it makes West Ham a very dangerous attacking side. Antonio also brings the long throw element to West Ham’s game and while the tactic might not always be effective it paid off when the City defence were not paying close attention. Antonio threw a quick long ball to Valencia who went onto to simply run into the box and finish neatly at the near post taking the lead once again. Hart was furious and simple tactics like this could be useful for West Ham.
For many wingers, its key to have speed and acceleration but Antonio adds his brute strength into the mix which allows him to only beat defenders to a ball but keep them off it as well. This combination has been key to many of his goals most noticeable when he scored against Sunderland. With the defender making a mistake Antonio took the ball from him and powered past another to strike a brilliant shot at goal from just inside the box. His consistent persistence allows him to pounce on any situation and turn a dead ball into a goal scoring opportunity. In both legs of the FA matches against Liverpool, he showed his speed from start to finish and was helping to create attacks really late in the game like at Manchester City. Breaking on opponents has been a useful tactic for West Ham this season and Antonio strengthens the right wing position and his teammates know they can find him here there if they start moving the ball quickly.
His speed and power also make him a stronger header of the ball which has been prolific in his last two games where he has risen high above his opponents to rocket shots into the net. With Payet’s brilliant deliveries and the combined distraction of Carroll and Sakho, who are both fit now, he has been able to make enough space to fire home with relative ease. In the Tottenham game, he was so open and generated so much speed in the shot that Lloris couldn’t get a strong enough hand to the ball which flew into the side netting after the keepers attempted save. Against Everton, he helped the Hammers to complete their 2-0 turn around by rising above everyone else in a crowded box to finishing neatly.
With five goals in his last eight games for West Ham, his form has been absolutely brilliant of late and while he possibly should have been used sooner he is definitely being effective for West Ham at the moment. His confidence is continuing to grow and he is a strong asset to have in the team. Having a lot of speed and strength he can play exceptionally well in supportive roles on the wing and during counter attacks. His natural ability to finish plus aerial dominance makes him a threat in front of goal and if his form continues he like the rest of the team could seriously make a push to steal one of the top four places, or, at least, give the Hammers a strong cup run.
