West Ham players rewarded in Bleacher Report power rankings
By Adam Smith
Four wins in a row will do a lot for your team’s table position, confidence, goal scoring record and apparently your individual rankings in the Premier League Bleacher Report. After West Ham’s matchday 17 that resulted in a 2-0 win at Fulham, the Irons players stock rose.
The Bleacher Report weekly ranking, EPL100 can be seen here. It ranks the best players by positions after each week, taking into consideration their performances from the week that was, and the form they have strung together over the past few matches.
Let’s get into the Iron’s rankings:
Keeper: Lukasz Fabianski 2nd
Previous – 5th
Fabianski has been a trooper all season for West Ham, not getting discouraged early with lopsided losses. Since August mercilessly passed by, Fabianski’s amazing performances have been matched by his team’s, and West Ham have predictably shot up the Premier League table.
Against Fulham, Fabianski was yet again called on early to make an unbelievable stop, this time against Aboubakar Kamara. The early breakaway save was one that has become a symptom of West Ham’s attacking style, but Fabianski has come up aces in recent weeks with early saves.
Centre-backs: Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena – 9th and 17th
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Previous -10th and 20th
Finally, the credit these players deserve! West Ham’s defensive pairing since being joined together earlier this season have been rock solid in central defense, steadying a now formidable West Ham team. Diop and Balbuena are both susceptible to defensive errors, but they are infrequent and bad games are never had by both at the same time.
Balbuena is an underrated part of West Ham’s success to about everyone other than West Ham supporters. Costing just a few million pounds has him as the steal of the Summer transfer window as he’s played in all but one Premier League match, each a full 90 minutes.
Issa Diop is a player getting loads of attention from other Premier League teams as well as European titans as well (cough, cough, PSG). Whether true or not, Diop has been a world-class talent for West Ham with his aerial dominance and telescopic legs that rarely miss. He is a special player West Ham need to prioritize keeping long term.
Fullbacks: Pablo Zabaleta and Arthur Masuaku – 3rd and 10th
Previous – 5th and unranked
Im tired of writing about how amazing Pablo Zabaleta has been week-in and week-out for West Ham, but there ain’t no rest for the wicked. It’s no surprise that the Irons’ defensive record has turned around this season with Zabaleta’s performances leading the way. The unaging wonder has also squashed any rumors of him retiring at the end of the season as well, leaving West Ham all the happier with the news.
Arthur Masuaku – not a left-back but certainly a whipping boy – has reared his head on Sam Tighe’s list for Bleacher Report for the first time this season. Masuaku is extremely forward thinking and great when moving into the opposition’s area but can have holes in his game defensively. That being said, he’s been terrific in West Ham’s past two games and has reestablished himself into the starting line up. A worthy ascension to the list of left-backs… even if he doesn’t think he is one.