West Ham United’s Stock Mostly Bullish after Entertaining Draw at Villa

As 0-0 matches go, that was one of the most hard-fought, energetic and entertaining draws you will see. West  Ham showed something new in this one—resiliency.

Especially after Arthur Masuaku was shown his second yellow card at the 67’ mark. From their West Ham actually got better. They had every intention of going for the win, right down to Pablo Fornals inexplicable pass up of a shot in the dying moments.

Let’s take stock of West Ham’s performance in this one as they earn a point and sit 8th in the table.

BULLISH

West Ham Toughness and Resiliency: As many club supporters know, a match like this one have a road loss for the Hammers written all over it. If the Manuel Pellegrini truly has remade the club, it starts here in a tough spot even before the red card. The club showed its metal especially with a man down. In prior seasons the heads would’ve been hanging and the match would’ve gone south in a hurry.

Not today. This team battled until the bitter end hoping to knick a goal and the three full points. Even though it never materialized, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Kudos go especially to Mark Noble, Declan Rice, Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna on some excellent defending throughout.

Felipe Anderson: You can say this about many Irons on the day, including worn-out Sebastian Haller, but Anderson ran his socks off today. He was all over the pitch and along with Manuel Lanzini was pulling the strings in the attack all day. His confidence is as high as its ever been since joining the club. His backtracking and defending along the left side with Masuaku (more on him later) is much improved.

Lukasz Fabianski: If it wasn’t for him making some great saves again, this easily could’ve gone Villa’s way. His punch-out, literally, of an attempt on goal was the save of the season so far. He is the best keeper in the league and a case could easily be made again today that he is the reason the club got a point from this one.

Sebastien Haller: Some long-time West Ham Supporters can chime in here going way back, but in my time watching the club we haven’t had a striker like this before. No, he didn’t score, but he does everything else. Hold up play, knock-downs, flick-ons are all great. It’s just a matter of the ball falling to him in the right spot—today it didn’t.

But it will plenty this season as it has already. He is also so good for a center forward with the ball at his feet. He had a really nice cross just outside the box to change the angle of attack and then get back into the play inside the box. Neither Carroll, Arnautovic or Chicharito had that skill in their toolboxes.

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BEARISH

Arthur Masuaku: There will be much debate on the validity of the second yellow and how VAR figures into that call (or non-call). Bottom line—the player knows he is on a yellow already and he can’t charge in there and leave a decision to the referee. Especially Mike Dean! For my money, it was a foul, borderline yellow card.

Even before that play, Masuaku wasn’t having his best game. He wasn’t a mess out there, but he wasn’t among the best players for the Irons. And you have to bring up the fact that Masuaku hasn’t made the best decisions on the pitch during his West Ham career. Just a year ago last January in 2018 he served a six-game ban for the spitting incident.

The club obviously likes him enough to give him a new contract. Let’s hope this is an isolated incident and not a continuing pattern of behavior for the now-regular choice at Left Back. Aaron Cresswell is not even making the game-day squad.

Pablo Fornals: Maybe a bit harsh because he put in a shift after coming into the match, but he had a chance to score a goal and win the game inside the box on his foot and he didn’t even take it. That’s a player lacking confidence.  He has to put that shot on goal and force a save, or score there.