West Ham held on to a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace as our creative players ran out of steam. Could the return of two creators and a centre-back boost the Hammers against Fulham?
It always seems that we have key players on the injury table at the wrong times, but maybe this time they’re coming back at the right time. With a two week gap until the game against Fulham, West Ham are announcing that Nasri, Lanzini and Balbuena could be fighting for places in the playing squad.
All three players bring benefits to the squad, with Balbuena being sorely missed in the back line, Nasri’s leadership and creativity missing in the draw against Palace, but it is Lanzini’s return that warms the heart. It was nearly a year ago that an injury whilst training for Argentina threatened to ruin his career.
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Lanzini was Slav’s big signing (ignoring Payet because he forced a move away) success and the Jewel also caught the eye of his national squad selectors. He’s a difficult player to mark, someone who can find the back of the net from range or slice the defence open with a pinpoint pass. And what’s more, he does it with a smile on his face. What more could you ask for from a creative midfielder.
Nasri is someone I was surprised about. I didn’t think he’d be up to pace, but Pellegrini has trusted him and that trust has been repayed. He hasn’t played too much for the Hammers due to picking up a couple of knocks, but when he has he has linked up well with the strikers and the midfield, bridging the gap that has been more than apparent in recent matches. I expect he will be back in the first XI, being replaced by Lanzini in the last 30 minutes for a while in order to build up match fitness in the Argentine.
Balbuena has recovered well from surgery, and will be a boost to our defence. Although Ogbonna has stepped up recently, Balbuena’s organisation of the back line is second to none. I expect we would have been in a much strong position through January with the South Amrican partnering Diop in the centre of defence.
With these three returning it seems as though there are some good signs for the Hammers. If Pellegrini can keep the players improving and get their consistency up as well, we could have a strong end to the season.