West Ham United’s record signing isn’t displaying anything that was expected from him. Perhaps a wakeup call is just what is required to get him motivated again.
If anyone would have said that Sebastien Haller, the West Ham record signing man would be struggling to the point of this, you would have laughed at them. But the truth is just that. There are a lot of what-ifs when you look at the overall picture but the truth remains.
Now, is it all Haller’s fault? No, but is he hurting himself as well? Yes, this isn’t the first time this topic has been addressed this season. The Frenchman hasn’t been playing well alone upfront and unless he is given the perfect ball in the perfect spot, he usually can’t finish the job.
The idea that this isn’t all his fault is true as neither Pellegrini or David Moyes has really played anyone upfront with you to any extent or length of time. Additionally, the rest of the team hasn’t really been there to help him either in a group style struggle.
Yes, Seb Haller has been a man on fire and all over the pitch the majority of the time but in his main role, he has been quite cooled off. You might say well, he has the most aerial duels won this season! Well, you can look at the stat and dissect that into a million negative ways too.
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The sad truth is that he was left for dry from the word GO and nobody has been able to help him. But, it’s not all on him either as no one can go without fault on this current West Ham side. He might be in the wrong setup but as some might suspect, he isn’t giving it his all.
Perception is reality and as of late when Seb Haller runs all over the pitch he looks like a busy man but then again so does someone when they are pretending to fast walk across the street in front of you. Whether it’s due to frustration from the previous issues or something else, his head isn’t in the right spot at the moment.
One of the many pillars of the West Ham Way motto is that if you play hard regardless of talent or abilities, you should start. And if not, then rest is in the cards for you. So despite a tough matchup ahead against Manchester City, the time is now to get his head back in the game.
The Hammers have the opportunity to see what they have in their new debutant, Jarrod Bowen, and they can continue to try out Albian Ajeti up top with him or play Antonio off to his right. As of now anyway, Haller is the better player but seeing that his place isn’t sealed in stone might be a good call.
The idea of starting Bowen and Haller together is enticing but if Seb’s head isn’t in the game then you cannot risk it for now. Giving him a week to cool off and think about why he is here and give him some fire for the tank could do wonders for him in weeks to come. It’s never safe for anyone to think they have a clear #1 role and giving him a wake up might be just what is needed at West Ham.