Green Street Hammers
Fansided

5 Lessons Learned From West Ham’s First Premier League Win of the Season

By Scott Johnson

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Issa Diop of West Ham United celebrates following his sides victory in the Premier League match between Everton FC and West Ham United at Goodison Park on September 16, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Issa Diop of West Ham United celebrates following his sides victory in the Premier League match between Everton FC and West Ham United at Goodison Park on September 16, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Pedro Obiang of West Ham United runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Everton FC and West Ham United at Goodison Park on September 16, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Pedro Obiang of West Ham United runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Everton FC and West Ham United at Goodison Park on September 16, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham

Obiang’s ball playing is better than most think

Most of the focus so far this season has been on the Hammers’ weaker midfield. It has been exposed time and time again and with a lot of media focus on Wilshere and Noble, as well as Rice’s international conundrum, Obiang has been largely in the background. Against Everton, he showed that he shouldn’t have been forgotten.

With Rice playing behind him in a traditional defensive midfielder role, Obiang was allowed further forward. Here we saw the passing range that was hinted at earlier in his Hammers career. He was instrumental in the play that led to Yarmolenko’s first goal, and picked up the assist for Arnautovic’s second half goal. He was the creativity that has been missing in the middle so far this season.

You only have to look at the effort he put in for that 3rd goal to see that he is comfortable in that position, and he has the technical ability to be the Hammers’ ball playing midfielder. Could this role be the reason he didn’t end up leaving in the summer? If so, Pellegrini might have just answered one of the questions many had about his central midfield.