Adrian Misses Opportunity in West Ham vs. AFC Wimbledon

West Ham ended up cruising through a ten-man AFC Wimbledon team but not after a rocky start to the match. Just a minute into the match Wimbledon scored their only shot on target and took an early lead. Despite the win keeper Adrian has failed to take the next step in regaining his net.

When Pellegrini and West Ham signed Lukasz Fabianski from Swansea City it appeared Adrian would yet again be in a battle for the first team for the third consecutive season. Even after a strong preseason for Adrian, he ceded early first-team minutes to newcomer Fabianski and doesn’t appear to be any closer to taking him over.

Fabianski’s play has been about as good as it could be for a team that has conceded nine goals in just three games. Against Liverpool, Bournemouth, and Arsenal Fabianski has looked solid and has not been beaten on any goals where you’d like to think a better keeper would have stopped that (yes, including Callum Wilson’s goal). As a result, there has been little opportunity for Adrian’s name to squeak into the predicted teamsheets of any reputable sources.

In his first action of the season, Adrian backstopped West Ham to a 3-1 win over Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup. What is remarkable about this match where West Ham held 81% of possession, only allowing two shots toward Adrian’s goal he still mucked it up and conceded what should be a saved ball:

The header Piggot put on the net had some pace to it, but it was a mid-net shot hit towards Adrian. He got a palm to it but his reaction time was too slow to push it out. The corner that was conceded could also be nailed to Adrian’s indecision when it comes to coming off his line. The ball eventually ended up out of bounds in Adrian’s hands who believed grabbing it an conceding the corner was a better option than punching it clear.

He is a fan favorite and likable character in the team, but Adrian has been eclipsed by Fabianski based off of early season play. Much like Randolph and Hart before Fabianski, Adrian cannot compete any longer for a starting position. It is a sad reality, however, Pellegrini’s plan for this team will likely revolve around a young keeper to be brought in next summer, seeing Adrian’s West Ham career come to an end.

Maybe I’m drawing too much of a conclusion from one game and one shot against but Adrian simply isn’t lighting the world on fire anymore.