Why Anderson could be key to West Ham against Bournemouth
West Ham’s record signing had to put in a more defensive shift than he wanted at Liverpool. This match against Bournemouth could give the Brazilian a chance to show he’s worth the price.
Andfield can’t have been a great experience for Anderson. Whilst he’s definitely a good enough player to shine there, he didn’t really get a chance to show it. Apart from sprinting backwards in order to help Masuaku out West Hams didn’t really get to see anything of the record signing.
However against Bournemouth we could see a whole new player. If the Hammers can get on the front foot we could really see Anderson giving the Bournemouth right back a huge problem, and the game could be unlocked with his pace. But his biggest gain is what he will bring to the team over what we had before.
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Team Changes
Last season we didn’t really have any options out wide, and its probably been an issue since Payet left. To create out wide you either have to be able to deliver a decent cross with the outside foot, or to be able to cut inside and attack the box directly. Payet enjoyed cutting inside with an eye to find that top corner, whilst a winger like Etherington was looking to get outside and cross the ball at any opportunity. What Anderson could offer is a blend of both.
His pace is certainly a step up on the options the Hammers have had in recent years, and with the stats painting him as a great dribbler of the ball he could certainly give many right backs in the Premier League an issue in a straight out contest. However given he is right footed and playing on the left we can also see his main aim will be to cut in and allow the full back to overlap. Because Bournemouth don’t like to sit back too much, we could see this push through their defence with the pace down our left hand side.
Next. A look at Bournemouth ahead of Irons clash. dark
This movement to support an attacking force of Arnautovic/Chicharito with Yarmolenko on the other wing could see the Hammers score a lot of goals this season. Pellegrini likes his side to look for goals, and he’s got the men to do it. If he can give confidence to Anderson against the more fragile defences in the league, I think West Ham are going to view the 35m we paid in the summer a bargain.