One of the more surprising things for West Ham United fans to digest this season is the severe lack of game time for last season’s ‘General’ Fabian Balbuena.
The Paraguay international has started just one Premier League game so far – the opening weekend 5-0 mauling to Manchester City – as well as in the Carabao Cup game at Newport County.
Angelo Ogbonna has regained his place as a first-team regular alongside Issa Diop and they’ve formed quite the partnership in recent outings.
Speaking to Football.London, cited by HITC, Manuel Pellegrini has finally opened up about why Balbuena has been so brutally dropped this term:
[Balbuena] arrived from his national squad late and he played just one [full] game [in pre-season]. That was my mistake to play with him in the first game because I trusted too much in what he can do, but it was too soon for him. Angelo [Ogbonna] worked with Diop the complete pre-season and now they are the two centre-backs who must play.
Read West Ham’s verdict
You can’t argue with Pellegrini’s reasoning. Ogbonna and Diop worked together for the majority of pre-season and, to be honest, it’s showing on the pitch.
Balbuena looked off the pace in his last outing at Newport and he certainly didn’t look sharp against Man City, so it’s the correct call.
The 28-year-old is a superb defender on his day though, and he’ll be vying to break back into the starting picture over the course of the 2019-20 campaign.
