Another week and another goal for West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic. He appears on the scoresheet more than any other and against Burnley, his celebration suggests that that goal may have meant more for him and West Ham than a simple tally in the goal column.
West Ham had been without Marko Arnautovic as a starter for their past two games, an away draw at Leicester and a Cup loss to Tottenham. Arnautovic had a stomach issue that made him not available for selection at Leicester and appeared after a late double-switch against Spurs. West Ham had gone goalless in back-to-back matches before these two games with their striker, but the Foxes and Spurs matches showed how much the Hammers missed their main man.
So, with Arnautovic fully fit and back starting for West Ham the Austrian forward was ready to make an impact, and it only took ten minutes. Like he always does, Arnautovic pressured the Burnley centre-back with the ball, James Tarkowski, who coughed up possession on a scrambled back pass. Arnautovic shot the ball on the first touch passed a helpless Joe Hart.
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What followed was nothing short of, well, expected. It’s not often that the term ‘bastard’ is used lovingly and admirably, but West Ham supporters do so frequently when talking about Arnautovic. He turned, found Tarkowski, ran up to him and proceeded to laugh in his face for making that mistake.
Sure, it was rude and unprofessional but really it was just peak Arnautovic. He’s one of those players – you love him if he’s on your team and hate that he’s on someone else’s. While being true to his character with his celebration, Arnie knows he can get inside the head of his opponents with antics like this and possibly cause them to pick up a yellow card in search of revenge.
This wasn’t the first time in recent history that Arnautovic had laughed in the face of his critics. In the October international break, Austria played Northern Ireland and Arnautovic captained his team. The match ended 1-0 on a goal from him to which he celebrated in the face of Northern Ireland and Leicester City opponent Johnny Evans by pounding his chest, exchanging words, and waiving the captain’s armband in his face.
He chalked it up to emotions and diffused the idea that it was a personal response to a player which he admittedly plays against frequently, but there is no doubt that Arnautovic plays with a big chip on his shoulder.
He’s repaying West Ham with scintillating performances as a striker almost weekly for having the faith to spend big on him, and the faith to convert him to a centre-forward. It’s much more than that now, though, as Arnautovic drives everything offensively for the Hammers. Manuel Pellegrini has kept him (obviously) as the starting striker since taking over the team and has invested in players to make him better.
WIth Yarmolenko out injured the reinforcements are now led by big money summer transfer Felipe Anderson. With two goals Anderson in the Burnley match he is officially clicking for the Irons and helping carry the load with Arnautovic up top. With these two playing off each other well and an exciting young prospect, Grady Diangana, also chipping in, its an exciting time to be a West Ham supporter.
He may straddle the line between disrespectful and amazing, but we’re thinking he’s a lot more amazing than anything else.