3. The Emergence Of Jeremy Ngakia.
Despite Ryan Fredericks’s questionable defensive ability, I was very concerned when he went off injured against Manchester City. This is not because I dislike veteran Pablo Zabaleta, I just don’t trust his ability against fast wingers as he has been caught out multiple times this season.
Jeremy Ngakia has come as a wonderful surprise in a torrid season. Ngakia made his debut for the Hammers last month, funnily enough against Liverpool and earned himself a lot of plaudits from the fans with his impressive performance then.
The youth academy graduate solidified his place in the side last night. Ngakia was constantly dealing with anything Sadio Mane and Andrew Robertson threw at him for the most part. The 19-year-old even showed ability going forward and was able to take on the Liverpool players on occasion, something not expected from someone who has only made two senior appearances.
One thing for sure is that Ngakia needs to be given the starting birth until Fredericks is fit again, and even then maybe Ngakia could be the next successful graduate out of West Ham’s famous Academy.