West Ham Player Analysis Review: Holding Midfielders

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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 25: Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal and Carlos Sanchez of West Ham battle for the ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and West Ham United at Emirates Stadium on August 25, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /

Carlos Sanchez 5/10

A very polarizing figure when he was rumored to be joining West Ham at the transfer deadline, Carlos Sanchez has arguably been West Ham’s best defensive midfielder this season. ‘Arguably’ because he needlessly gave away the ball under pressure vs. Wolves that ended up in the back of the net, but La Roca was solid leading up to that point and looked good against Arsenal, too.

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Sanchez isn’t going to light the world on fire in the midfield, and if West Ham are going to catch fire and reassert themselves as a top half team then we’ll be seeing less and less of Sanchez in the starting XI. It’s nothing against the Colombian midfielder, but at 32 years old there is a ceiling on his skills and players like Declan Rice and Jack Wilshere should take over his position if West Ham are to succeed.

Regardless, Pellegrini targeted this player for a reason and most likely it’s due to his veteran experience. Like Noble, Sanchez can bring his experience and skills to the training ground and mentor and challenge players like Rice to get better at their positions. I said it when he was signed and I’ll say it again – the less we see of Sanchez the better West Ham will be doing.

Season Stats:

Games: 2
Goals: 0
Shots: 2
Tackles: 3 (67% success)
Blocked Shots: 2
Interceptions: 0
Clearances: 0 (0 headed)
Recoveries: 11
Duels: 7-10
50/50s: 2
Aerial Battles: 1-0
Errors Leading to Goal: 1
Passes: 105
Through Balls: 1
Accurate Long Balls: 12