West Ham United: So here’s to you Felipe Anderson…

After a largely successful debut season at West Ham for Felipe Anderson, it was his second where many believed that the Brazilian would take his game to an even higher level.

Having bagged an impressive 10 goals in his opening campaign for the club, the 26-year-old has so far this season, while nearly at the halfway point, failed to score. That means he has now gone 20 West Ham matches without a goal for the club, with his last coming in last year’s 2-1 away loss to Manchester United.

Now goals, of course, aren’t everything, and Anderson has already matched his creative output of last season, with three assists to his name thus far. But even his latest of those came 10 games ago in West Ham’s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth down on the south coast.

His form, like the rest of the team, has completely deteriorated over the last couple of months and the former Lazio man looks devoid of any confidence whatsoever. His reluctance to take on the opposition full-back, when everyone knows how quick and skillful he is, highlights this specific problem.

So how does Manuel Pellegrini work with Anderson so that he can regain his form of yesteryear?

More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham

• Brighton vs West Ham predictions: Can James Ward-Prowse help end the curse?
• West Ham and two Premier League rivals made huge transfer stand
• Lucas Paqueta bet allegations discussed in West Ham and Man City transfer talks
• Bournemouth vs West Ham predictions: Premier League opener amid transfer chaos
• West Ham near Denis Zakaria transfer after final James Ward-Prowse bid

He needs to play him in a position where he is likely to affect football matches, which means he needs to be played closer to the likes of Sebastien Haller and Michail Antonio. This will have a knock-on effect on his fellow attackers, who also relish support, and no team would want to face a dangerous attack containing these three players.

Anderson far too often finds himself hugging the touch-line, which severely reduces his impact on the game, where his delightful passing range isn’t put to use and his goal threat is virtually non-existent.

This would hopefully improve the Brazilian’s output, while in turn bettering his confidence that is currently so low. If this works, expect to see more performances from Anderson similar to his exhilarating display at home to Norwich earlier this season, where he looked genuinely world-class, even without a goal or assist on the day.

With a fully motivated Felipe Anderson in the side, West Ham can bank on a much more successful second half to the season than the first.