West Ham have been under scrutiny in the past few weeks after some poor performances. A Leaky defence and a misfiring attack have left Bilic exposed with his current squad. Could a few players returning from injury be set to lighten his mood?
Aaron Cresswell
The left back has been an integral part of the West Ham set up since he signed, and before this season he hadn’t missed a minute of league action for the East London side. However an over zealous tackle in pre-season put his preparations on hold. However it looks like he could be back in contention, and not a moment too soon.
As cover for Cresswell the Hammers board members signed Masuaku, who was an adequate replacement. He didn’t have the all round game that Cresswell does, but he filled in well until he got injured as well. With Byram and Ogbonna having to fill in, left back is a position we needed to cover.
David Gold (as shown above) is confident he will be back for the Palace game. Whether he will be able to play 90 minutes is another question, but is he fit to start? I can imagine Bilic being cautious and easing him in, although right now some expertise in that position would go a long way to securing what has been a very shaky defence.
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Andy Carroll
Also mentioned by Gold was perpetual injury problem Andy Carroll. I have no doubt that the minute he is named in the squad there will be a few cruel people taking bets on how long it is until the big striker is missing a game through injury again.
Carroll’s injury was far more innocuous, and potentially avoidable. The striker went over on his ankle playing on Astra’s poor excuse for a pitch. But did he need to be on? We certainly could have used him in the return leg…
It would be good to have him back, even if it’s only so we have some options. Zaza still isn’t up to pace and Calleri is awful. Fletcher is good but he still needs to learn, which is another reason Carroll back is good. I imagine he will be starting from the bench however against Palace, if he’s in the squad at all.
Next: West Ham Player Ratings v Boro
Andre Ayew
A signing that not many people realised we needed, but one that I think we’ve really missed. He can play all across the midfield and up front centrally, and that versatility is missing. We tried Antonio in the same role against Boro and he wasn’t up to it. Replacing Tore with Ayew would be a big improvement.
The Ghanaian went out of the match against Chelsea with a thigh strain, and seems to be back sooner than expected with initial estimates putting him out until December. He could really help our transition from defence to attack, and adds another physical player. Antonio is good, but what Ayew may give up to Antonio a little in physicality I think he makes up for in his ability on the ground.
Can these three help pick West Ham up ahead of a difficult November schedule? I hope so, because we seem to need a boost at the moment!