In a season for West Ham that has included a bunch of negatives and unknowns thus far, the play of centre-back Angelo Ogbonna has been nothing short of outstanding.
West Ham have started off the 2020-2021 Premier League campaign in pretty decent fashion thus far. After a rough first two matches, the Hammers have dominated their last two games in style, beating tough sides Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers by a combined scoreline of 7-0. Although there have been many inconsistencies in the team thus far, Angelo Ogbonna is always going to give the Irons a fantastic performance.
There was a time at West Ham where many fans were not so sure about Ogbonna. He had always been a talented player but struggled at times on the pitch. Well, like fine wine Ogbonna has seemingly gotten better with age and has been irreplaceable since the start of last seasons Premier League campaign.
Fast forward to this season, the way Ogbonna handles himself and the entire backline during matches just oozes class and confidence. Ogbonna plays with a bit of a swagger and a nasty edge, which could be seen in the Leicester game as Ogbonna stood over Cengiz Ünder after being unhappy with the Turkish wingers dive during the match.
Ogbonna has not only become a world-class defender but has taken on a slight leadership role at the club. You can see him always talking to other defenders, making sure they are organized, and you can see the passion on his face after we win matches.
It’s things like this that are slowly making Ogbonna one of West Ham’s biggest heroes in recent memory. The 33-year-old will never shy away from confronting the fanbase win, lose, or draw, and wants nothing more than for the Hammers to succeed and win matches. Regardless of who is at the back with him, I always have confidence Oggy will sort them out.
As we head into the brunt of the schedule for the 2020 Premier League season, the games will get tougher, the weather will get colder, and the injuries will start to pile up. However, as long as Angelo Ogbonna is in the starting XI every single week, I get that glimmer of hope that Oggy has our back.