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Issa Diop: West Ham’s Defensive Dynamo

By Scott Johnson

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Issa Diop of West Ham United in action during the Pre-Season Friendly match between West Ham United and Fulham at Craven Cottage on July 27, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Issa Diop of West Ham United in action during the Pre-Season Friendly match between West Ham United and Fulham at Craven Cottage on July 27, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) /
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West Ham’s defence will look pretty familiar this season after money was spent further forwards. So our former record signing Diop will need to step up to the task.

Last years opening match against Liverpool was one to forget, but it marked a change in our approach to playing big teams that Pellegrini has implemented at West Ham. No longer will we play with fear and reserve, but we will look to take the game to them. Great for the attackers, not so much for the defence.

So a big part of that change was the new feel back line. Diop and Balbuena at its heart, with pace either side. But Diop and Balbuena were crucial in their ball retention as well as their defensive skills. Every time one of them was absent we looked more vulnerable. And it’s because they work so well together.

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Whilst Balbuena has earned his nickname the General, it’s clear to me that Diop is the legs of the defence. He is pacey enough to keep up with most attackers, and is always willing to put himself into physical situations. Whilst Balbuena tries to stop fires starting, Diop is the one who puts them out when they do spring. And he’s one of the best in the league at doing that. You only have to look at our performances against the big sides later in the season to see how imperious he was when necessary, and why United were after him in the summer.

But as I said above, his on the ball play is also key. He is adding more passing to his game, but for me it was his pick up and drive ability that made the Frenchman both crucial to our balance and and so hard to deal with from the opposition’s point of view. He almost scored a beautiful goal against Spurs towards the end of the season from simply powering through when the opposition expected him to offload the ball, it’s just a shame his finishing doesn’t match up to his defending.

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This year will be interesting for Diop, because the pressure is now on to keep improving. Can he continue to deal with the new challenges thrown at him in one of the most technically difficult leagues in the world? And can he continue to nail down that centreback partnership? For me his performances are key if we want West Ham to push on up the table this season.