West Ham secured a solid 2-0 win at home against Newcastle, but one player stood out from the crowd. As is the theme with the season so far, Declan Rice was outstanding.
We’re into the last 10 games of the season and for many people it’s clear who is going to clean up at the West Ham end of season awards. Declan Rice, despite a number of standout performers at various points of the season, has been exceptional.
Once again he was head and shoulders above the rest against Newcastle, at some points literally as well as figuratively. He was the anchor to our shape and seemed to reflect the joy that playing under Pellegrini has brought back into the side. More than our best player, he was an embodiment of the attitude every fan wants to see from the Hammers.
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Throughout the side we saw a lot of commitment, working for your teammate and simple passing. We retained the ball, went back to basics and it meant that we created a number of chances, forcing Newcastle to try their luck from distance and in low percentage situations. Without playing exceptionally well, we were in control and keeping Newcastle at arms length.
I have to give a special mention to Lanzini as well, because his form is magical given the length of his injury layoff. His return sparked the return to basics that I was talked about, because his pass and move style is so incredibly hard to deal with, and as soon as he has space he turns and drives into space. There’s not too many flashy tricks or spectacular pass attempts yet, but it’s efficient and means we get to put our authority on the game.
But the main man, Declan Rice, is West Ham through and through, and his improvement over the past few seasons has been incredible. I would have loved to have seen him given the captains armband once Noble went off, especially on a day where Billy Bonds was being honoured with the naming of the stand, but that will come. As long as he stays at the club that is.