West Ham’s efforts rewarded with player boosts in EPL100

A different look West Ham saw the return of Chicharito, the first start for Ryan Fredericks this calendar year, and a three-man midfield all used to slow down Liverpool. Mission success as a 1-1 draw was earned and so to a bump in the Bleacher Report EPL100 power rankings.

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 Irons’ rankings:

Goalkeepers: Lukasz Fabianski – 1st

Previous – 1st

West Ham’s signing of the season and in-form keeper has been on fire all season long. He put in an incredible performance last week in a loss to Wolves and followed that up with a strong showing against Liverpool. The only goal to beat him was offside and outside of that, he made six saves throughout the game. His aerial claims and communication were on display in this match and he deserves to remain atop this list.

Never lets us down! 👊 pic.twitter.com/1TxzrjFs1c
— West Ham United (@WestHam) February 5, 2019

Author Sam Tighe thinks so too,

"“Our top two goalkeepers, Lukasz Fabianski and Alisson Becker, went head-to-head on the pitch on Monday—and it’s fair to say one looked more safe and assured than the other.”“None of Fabianski’s five saves were terribly difficult, but his handling was spot-on and his throws to spark counter-attacks were very good. That’s a description you could usually attribute to Alisson too, but his performance was a lot shakier, with his distribution actually being troublesome at certain points.”"

Right-back: Pablo Zabaleta – 9th

Previous – 9th

Another West Ham player earns a stay from their previous weeks ranking. It’s kind of an odd one seeing as how Pablo Zabaleta didn’t play this week. I suppose no other right-backs stepped up and he was afforded the chance to sit back, put his feet up, and relish in the fact that he’s STILL a top 10 positional player in the Premier League.

Ryan Fredericks, who started in Zabaleta’s place, looked great against the Reds. He was quick, jumped up in the attack, and got back defensively too. A partnership between Zabaleta and Fredericks is ultimately the best option for the club, though it will probably see Zab slip out of the power rankings. Still, the tandem should extend his legs and improve game-by-game performances.

Centre-backs: Issa Diop – 18th

Previous – 20th

And exhale.

Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna looked great on Monday night against Liverpool, shutting down the elite Reds’ attack albeit for an offside goal. Diop is a marauding defender who likes to step up and make a tackle or win a header in the midfield where he can. If he doesn’t have a defensive minded CB partner he can get exposed and drawn out to create openings for the opposition. He and Ogbonna took turns playing each role and it turned out great against Liverpool, which is promising.

He’s earned a little boost in the rankings and some breathing room from the relegation zone. If West Ham continue to take points in their matches look for Diop to continue to drive up the EPL100, too.

Defensive/Central Midfielders: Declan Rice – 5th

Previous – 6th

As he’s been known to do, Declan Rice responded from a poor (by his standards) effort against Wolves. He was integral in West Ham’s success against Liverpool by pushing the Reds out wide and clogging up the middle of the pitch for the full 90 minutes. His movement throughout the game was exceptional too, covering for his centre-backs and supporting his fullbacks with the midfield presence he brings.

Tighe thinks this was just more of the same form Dec, stating

"“Declan Rice put in the sort of monster performance on Monday that we’ve come to expect from him. One of the main reasons Liverpool struggled to find their flow was that Rice kept destroying their attacks.”"

Oh and he nearly cornered a header to take the lead! What a player.

Attacking Midfielders/Wingers: Felipe Anderson – 12th and Michail Antonio – 20th

Previous – Anderson 14th, Antonio unranked

Felipe Anderson – He’s been in form since September for West Ham and continued to impress with yet another strong performance down the wing. He’s started to get recognition in game, too, as presenters cannot seem to talk enough about the fan favorite whenever he gets on the ball. He appropriately was lined up against fill-in right-back James Milner and was a step ahead of him all match long. He also switched off with Michail Antonio whenever the team needed to change up the pace and relieve the limping winger.

The goal West Ham scored was the payoff from all the wasted freekick routines earlier this season. Anderson rolled it to Snodgrass, who teed up Anderson, who slotted in Michail Antonio, who went post and in past Alisson.

It was a cool finish from Antonio who’s finishing has let him down this season. Well earned and well taken is how it should be described as Antonio made no mistake on the chance. Antonio was a presence for the entirety of the match. He won headers from Fabianski down the pitch to keep possession, tracked back to support Fredericks, won 50/50s and provided blocks in our own box. It is a performance worthy of the bump up to top attackers in the Premier League.