Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic are West Ham’s best strikers
By Adam Smith
The loss to Watford at home that ended West Ham’s unbeaten run popped the Irons’ bubble and brought them back down to earth both mentally and in the table. Now sitting 12th and in the bottom half, the Hammers need to regain their focus and get in the goals again. Southampton are up next and a new striker duo should be played against the surging Saints.
Not injuries nor losses will part Manuel Pellegrini from his tried and true 4-2-2-2 formation, and with the knocks picked up against Watford, we could be in for a Christmas time treat. That treat is a potential duo of Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic up top for West Ham.
West Ham have played extremely well without their best offensive threat and striker in the lineup, but the bubble that flew so high has since been stung and popped by the Hornets. Watford shutdown the firing West Ham attack with some help from their goalposts, keeping a clean sheet at the London Stadium.
More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham
- Brighton vs West Ham predictions: Can James Ward-Prowse help end the curse?
- West Ham and two Premier League rivals made huge transfer stand
- Lucas Paqueta bet allegations discussed in West Ham and Man City transfer talks
- Bournemouth vs West Ham predictions: Premier League opener amid transfer chaos
- West Ham near Denis Zakaria transfer after final James Ward-Prowse bid
No one was happier that Pellegrini that West Ham continued to score with Arnautovic out injured, but I imagine no one was as happy as Pellegrini again when it was revealed that he would be in contention for the Southampton squad.
With Chicharito picking up a minor hamstring injury against Watford, he is a doubt for the Saints match leaving the striker options as follows: Antonio, Arnautovic, Carroll, Perez, and Silva. If it was up to me, I would go for Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic up top simply because of the speed and pressure these two players put on defenders and keepers.
Arnautovic has scored and created multiple goals for West Ham by closing down defenders and keepers when they have the ball, forcing them into errors and misplays. His goal against Burnley showed this perfectly. With the defender pressured and out of options he flubbed a last-second pass to Joe Hart in net which was picked up and slotted into the net by Arnautovic.
Like Arnautovic, Michail Antonio can run his legs off and would do well to follow the on-pitch example of Arnie to constantly be running people down and take no shifts off. Antonio has looked great in past weeks, providing right-back, rightwing, and striker options for the club and scoring two goals along the way. He nearly had a brace against Watford with two shots hitting the post from incredibly close. He should have finished them, sure, but we can’t deny that he’s looked great since getting game time again.
Together, the duo would bring the aggression and speed that West Ham didn’t consistently have against Watford. Both players are solid at making good runs across the defenders, Aranutovic is a terrific finisher and Antonio has been working on his shot, and where Arnautovic likes to drift from the penalty area and create a play, Antonio unabashedly gets into the area and is underrated with his head on aerial attacks.
Next. West Ham Player Grades after Watford Loss. dark
Simply put, a striker duo of Antonio and Arnautovic could shock Southampton with their speed and aggressiveness, getting West Ham out to an early lead and keeping the game away from the Saints’ strengths by holding possession and finishing chances when they come.