Michail Antonio: The Swiss Army Knife of West Ham United

Competition for playing time and cracking the starting XI in the side over the course of this preseason is a good thing for West Ham United. And Michail Antonio’s ability to act as a sort of Swiss army knife for the squad ensures he will get his opportunities.

Over the second half of last season, we finally saw a return to fully fit form of West Ham attacker Michail Antonio. When healthy, Antonio brings traits that are unique to the side: power, pace, and strength that absolutely terrorizes opposing full-backs.

On the other hand, his lack of touch and finishing ability in and around the box leaves a lot to be desired and has been frustrating for Hammers supporters to watch. Despite those flaws in his game, he still managed to score 6 goals for the club last season. And his desire and determination are never in question. His attitude on the pitch is infectious. He’s a fan favorite and when he does bag a goal, the celebration that follows is nothing short of highly entertaining.

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Antonio’s ability to play in various positions across the front line will make him a valuable asset in the Manager’s squad, even if he doesn’t make the starting XI each week. Antonio has played mostly winger along the right side, but he has also been employed as a center forward. (Let’s all agree to forget the right-back experiment under Slaven Bilic!)

With the addition of new attackers, Sebastian Haller and Pablo Fornals added to the mix with Lanzini, Anderson, and Wilshire, playing time is going to be tough to come by for Antonio.

But because of his ability to play center forward, I could see a scenario when he comes on to replace Haller. Especially early on in the season when the Frenchman is getting used to the Premier League. Antonio has been far more effective this pre-season than Chicharito.

Antonio could of course also be used to come on at right-wing as a substitute to run at opposing defenders when they are fatigued, using his fresh legs and pace to create chances for the Irons.

Andriy Yarmolenko is just now showing some signs of knocking the rust off after last season’s long term injury, so at the moment Antonio is ahead of him in the pecking order. And as dynamic as Grady Diangana is when he gets minutes, he slots in behind Antonio also. His time will come.

But because it appears that Pellegrini is committed to playing Fornals and Lanzini together, it requires the Argentinian magician to play out wide right, taking Michail Antonio’s spot.

But this is West Ham United, and really just Premier League football overall, so the dreaded “I” word is sure to rear its ugly head at some point this season.

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But here now as the opener vs Man City approaches, not having a starting spot for Antonio is a good problem to have for the Hammers. It means the squad is healthy and at least on the attacking front, has depth. Michail Antonio is a big part of that quality and will be a big part of the club by the time it’s all said and done this season.