West Ham’s Marquee Player For Restart vs. Wolves
By Adam Smith
There are plenty of West Ham players who have something to prove come the Premier League’s restart. That being said, one will need to show he can be relied on to steady the ship.
The obvious choices are logically neck-and-neck with my pick for West Ham’s must-be star against Wolves. Declan Rice rarely takes a second off his elite-level play and will certainly be relied on where ever he ends up playing in this match, either at defensive midfield or centre-back.
Likewise, Sebastien Haller hasn’t put up the numbers his pricetag suggests he should. While his transfer fee isn’t necessarily his fault, Haller would likely be the first person to tell you that he needs to be scoring more goals up top, solo or with a striker partner.
My pick, however, is neither of these two. Instead, all eyes are on Issa Diop at the back for the Hammers.
He has suffered a Premier League sophomore slump this season and has looked uncharacteristically shaky on the ball at times. With three months off and a full training camp under his belt, Diop has no excuse to not be in tip-top form for the restart.
Against Wolves, Diop will have to be the most settled of the centre-backs on the pitch. Angelo Ogbonna is an injury doubt so if he does play it’ll be without any match fitness as he missed both closed-door friendlies.
If Ogbonna does miss out, Declan Rice is believed to be the next in line to pair with Diop at the back. Many believe Rice is a natural centre-half but he has played midfield for the last two seasons. His unfamiliarity with the role would likely force Diop to have to cover up for a few rusty gaffs for Rice.
As well as defensive coverage, Diop is a massive threat on set pieces. At 6’4″, Diop is a big target for corner kicks and deadball plays for any of West Ham’s maestros to pick out. Wolves will be hard to break down during play so capitalizing on set pieces could be a Moyes tactic relied on heavily in this match.
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There will be rust, there will be mistakes, and there will be head-scratching moments for us supporters sitting at home. We all know how good Diop can be, though, and his settled defensive presence could be the difference in this match. On the flip side, however, a poor match from him could sink the Hammers just as easily.