Green Street Hammers
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West Ham’s dogfight in the midfield

By Adam Smith

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 30: Manuel Lanzini of West Ham United is challenged by Richarlison of Everton during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Everton FC at London Stadium on March 30, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 30: Manuel Lanzini of West Ham United is challenged by Richarlison of Everton during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Everton FC at London Stadium on March 30, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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Manuel Lanzini bossed the midfield in the opening half of West Ham’s preseason, and Jack Wilshere followed suit in the second half against Altach. Add Pablo Fornals into the mix and West Ham have a dogfight on their hands for attacking midfield positions.

We got a good look at both Manuel Lanzini and Jack Wilshere in West Ham’s preseason opener against Altach in Austria. Lanzini got the start with the first half team, tasked with running the middle of the pitch, and Wilshere took his sting-pulling job in the second half.

At a quick glance, Lanzini looked about where he left off to end the season. The Argentine returned from a substantial knee injury to end off last season and didn’t look out of place for a second then or now. He didn’t impact the scoresheet, but he was leagues ahead of any Altach players.

LISTEN. Green Street Hammers Podcast Ep. 29: Preseason breakdown!. light

Wilshere did, in fact, get in on the goals with a beautiful cross to Issa Diop for what would be the winning goal. Wilshere was on corner duty in the second half and showed terrific passing and crossing on his goal. I know it’s sort of obvious, but if fit Wilshere could be a revelation for West Ham.

Now we get onto Pablo Fornals. He will be joining up with his new team in China after winning the U21 World Championship with Spain. He’s an attacking midfielder, but outside of his recent international play, a lot of supporters don’t know exactly what he brings.

What we should expect from him is all out attack. He’s a silky smooth passer who plays the ball on the floor and gets up in attacking runs to support his striker(s). As a number 10, he could essentially act as a secondary striker at times, thundering into the box to get on the end of slicing passes.

Together the three midfield aces create quite the creative committee. With rumors suggesting Manuel Pellegrini wants to play in a 4-3-3 attacking formation with just one defensive midfielder, it will likely be two of these three starting the year on the pitch. The Premier League Chinese Trophy, then, has a lot of meaning for these players; it’s a proving ground to determine who should start.

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The winning in this impending dogfight is West Ham. With three players continuously pushing each other for just two positions, the season-long battle for starting minutes should be interesting. Mix in the likes of Mark Noble and Declan Rice to this midfield crew and the Hammers have an elite mix of players to hold down the middle of the pitch.