How can West Ham United get Felipe Anderson going?

One of the biggest disappointments this year for West Ham has been the play of star winger Felipe Anderson. After lighting up the Premier League in his first season, Anderson has yet to score so far in 2019.

The Premier League is the toughest league for players in the entire world. The game style is very physical, the weather is brutal, and the passion and energy from the various support groups to include West Ham make every Premier League match feel special and important.

When a player is struggling throughout a season, most tend to give them the benefit of the doubt, due to the toughness of the league. However, for West Ham’s Felipe Anderson, his second season has been a nightmare.

Anderson has registered only 3 assists in 13 Premier League matches thus far. Compared to last year’s great campaign, Anderson already had 6 league goals by December 8th. Clearly something is not right with Anderson, who is normally a deadly player who uses rapid pace and skill to create clear-cut chances. One of the more interesting things about Anderson’s season thus far has been where Manuel Pellegrini has decided to play him.

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Just like last season, Anderson has been playing out wide on the left-hand side for the Hammers. However, due to his lack of effectiveness this season, I would argue that Pellegrini should try to play Anderson in a more central role.

I think the Irons have really missed Manuel Lanzini in the middle of the pitch. His ability to tear apart opposing back-lines with his quickness and pick out any pass on the pitch makes him a lethal attacking threat. Anderson shares many of these qualities with Lanzini, and I think if slotted into the middle of the pitch in a more attacking midfielder role, he could really thrive and turn his season around.

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Felipe Anderson is simply too talented of a player to be having such a poor season. If Manuel Pellegrini were to give Anderson a shot in other attacking positions, I truly believe Felipe would be back on track to recreate some of last year’s magic for the Hammers.