Starting Chicharito against Liverpool is a waste for West Ham

West Ham have the eyes of the Premier League upon them as the last match of the week sees the Hammers hosting league favorites, Liverpool. West Ham are heavy underdogs in this match but if they get a result, it won’t be on the back of Chicharito.

Lazy, uninterested, non-committal. All are viable descriptions of Javier Hernandez in the past month. The Mexican striker turned his form on in December during West Ham’s unbeaten run but has since allowed transfer speculation derail his on-pitch efforts.

With Liverpool up next and with the opportunity to impact the title race, West Ham need a striker they can rely on, and Chicharito isn’t that man. To be honest, we don’t really have a striker that can offer this outside of the injured Arnautovic but other options are better suited for the type of match the Hammers have in front of them.

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So, the next best option is to use players who can play a role well. Unfortunately for Chicharito fox in the box isn’t the role needed. Instead, West Ham should employ the services of Michail Antonio to sprint at their half-injured backline to start, and Andy Carroll to batter them late in the match.

Both players know what they offer and tend to stick to their roles well. For Antonio, him starting will solidify the game plan – to lump the ball up the pitch and have him chase it down. Felipe Anderson’s pace and ability to see the game ahead of him should support this, as well as Grady Diangana’s pace on the right side should he get the start over Robert Snodgrass.

A speedy front three may be the only way West Ham can counter the strong midfield and high-pressing attack of Liverpool. Diangana can step behind the marauding Andy Robertson to gain a yard or two, Anderson should be able to glide past Milner or Henderson at makeshift right-back, and Antonio will need to do his best to avoid Virgil Van Dyke in the middle of the pitch, simple right?

It’s not all that complicated and rather obvious, but it’s a game plan that should be employed by the Hammers. The squad hasn’t shown that they can execute simple gameplans in recent weeks, so no need to complicate things as of now; boil it down to basics and play your players in their best positions.

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Simply put, Chicharito is a luxury player that needs other players and sustained possession to have an impact on the game. He isn’t physical enough to hold up play on his own, he isn’t fast enough to beat Liverpool’s center-backs in a footrace, and he isn’t committed enough to play for the badge on the front of the shirt.