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Oh Captain, why captain. West Ham’s Mark Noble set to miss 3 important fixtures

By Scott Johnson

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: Referee Michael Oliver shows Mark Noble of West Ham United a red card during the Premier League match between Leicester City and West Ham United at The King Power Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: Referee Michael Oliver shows Mark Noble of West Ham United a red card during the Premier League match between Leicester City and West Ham United at The King Power Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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West Ham captain Mark Noble will miss three pivotal games for the Hammers. With the cup game against Spurs and two winnable PL fixtures, can the side pull together in his absence?

Now I’m not saying Mark Noble is king among thinkers, but his footballing IQ is relatively high. But looking at the challenge he made against Leicester, you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Even if we avoid the debate about if it was/wasn’t a red card, it was a stupid challenge. Where was he going? What danger did he possess? Just stay on your feet and stay close. Now West Ham have a real issue in midfield.

With the Spurs game in midweek Pellegrini must make a call. Does he go for a significant cup run in what is considered the ‘lesser’ cup? Or will he cycle players around, give the youth more of a try and focus on the two winnable Premier League games coming up? Burnley and Huddersfield present the Hammers with a chance to win back to back PL games for the first time in almost two years. Either way, it’s hard to see how there won’t be significant youth involvement.

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With Noble suspended, Wilshere, Sanchez and Yarmolenko injured and Obiang carrying a niggle it seems as though we will be calling on the services of youth player Connor Coventry to fill in. The youngster made his senior debut against Macclesfield, but will need to step up if Pellegrini looks to maintain the same shape against Spurs.Even if we shift to a 4-4-2, I can’t imagine that Coventry won’t be on the bench. We have no more central midfielders to call on. Diangana will continued to be used in a wingers role, especially with the misfiring Antonio in the side.

The other player who may get a chance in an attacking midfield role is Lucas Perez. The former Arsenal man has not really shone since his move but with so many injuries, this is a big chance. Arnautovic was out for the Leicester game with a stomach bug, and it remains to be seen whether he will be back for the midweek clash at Spurs.

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I still think we can come up with the goods in the upcoming matches, but Noble’s rash decision made everything very hard. He will be watching on nervously, and he will be hoping he doesn’t cost us anything significant. The trajectory of the Hammers’ season could change drastically over the next 14 days.