Crouchend_Hammer wrote:
because as a team we may score more, especially under Pelligrini where the set-up is very different vs Moyes....Arnie hasn't been 'that' prolific this season. Don't get me wrong he has scored a few but not 'crazy' levels
I don't think Arnie's impact would be diluted that much by moving him a little deeper/ wider, as he does some of his best work from there, and he might get some extra space...a lot of the types of goals he scores would still be available to him
Since converting to a striker Arnie’s stats for scoring or assisting are only bettered by Salah, that’s pretty prolific in anyone’s book. If we were to change his role, whereby he now has to track the opposition winger or full back we’d be making a big mistake imo. The fact Arnie’s performances and level of consistency is at an all time high is not through chance it is very much to do with the position he now plays.
If we want to get Hernandez more minutes I’d suggest playing 5-3-2/3-5-2. Drop Rice into CB along with Diop and Balbuena, push the full backs on to wing back and put Anderson at the tip of the midfield three with Arnie playing a free role off Herdandez. This would involve dropping Yarmolenko, which is a bit harsh but someone has to be dropped if we want Hernandez to get minutes.
I am not advocating it in all games. However, in games where we are likely to have a lot of possession and there will be less space to break things down, having an out and out finisher in the side will be a benefit IMHO
Half decent managers will be able to work out how to nullify Arnie, and therefore our attacking threat, as Brighton did the other day
one requires our manager to do something which it would seem from history he won't do and that's go with 3 at the back.
there were times early doors when I thought (and loads of others too it seemed) we really should have played a 3. he didn't and I don't see it changing any time soon, if at all. especially when we have taken 7 points from 12.
as I say, my thought would be chasing the game at Brighton and I thought we definitely made the wrong sub, wasn't it Antonio ? Anderson moved centrally for about 5 minutes. I wouldn't have been adverse to going with Yarmo and Arnie up top, Snodders out wide and Anderson behind a front 2. we never did.
I honestly don't see any way Pellers incorporates Chicharito in the scheme of things despite what he supposedly said when he came here that Chicharito would fit perfectly into his style of playing.
Hernandez is the sub for occasions like Brighton when we are dominating and need more of a goal threat.
He is certainly the better poacher but is less of a threat outside the box or in running onto a through ball and beating several players from 35 yards out.
Games like Everton as a lone striker he would not have had the pace or presence of Arnie.
For me your best player gets to play in his best position and currently that is Arnie as the central striker, to move your best player to a less accomplished position to accommodate someone else when you already have a very adequate player in Yarmolenko in that other position seems wrong. Worst case for me would be moving Arnie game to game depending on home/away or who we are playing. Until Hernandez shows he is a better alround player in the central striker role the position belongs to Arnie.
As for a switch to a 3 I was very much an advocate of this system. MP clearly does not like it and seems to have found a formula to make the 4 work. For as long as it is working then again I do not see a change.
HammerAl wrote:
JH is a poacher and he'd score 20+ goals a season in a team who has the lion share of possession, a team who can afford / are good enough to "carry" more of a "luxury" player, and a team who gives him the right service.
IMO we can't offer him what he needs.
Oddly, his goalscoring record for Real Madrid is virtually identical to the one with us. His problem seems to be that teams, barring Mexico, have often used him in a super-sub role. Thus why he's never achieved 20+ goals in a season despite playing for Man U and Real Madrid.
Obviously I have no idea, but I'd hazard a guess that Javier thinks he's too good for West Ham Utd, the fact he finds himself on the bench more often than not, is an insult to a player of his quality, why should he work hard to earn a spot when he is bigger than the club, we should think ourselves lucky to have such a player..
good player to have on the bench but wages and age against him now for that. time to sell in January for 10-15m. some champions league team may buy him as cover, you never know !
give some of his 140k a week to rice.
If arnie had looked along the line and stayed onside he hernandez would have had a goal, and if arnie had put that one on one away at the end he would have had an assist
Not sure what else he is supposed to do in 25 minutes or whatever it was
did well on his return from sickness. fair play. I would start him with arnie up front. we need more of a goal threat and he does more than perez.
if he can stay in the team he will score. he needs to try harder in the games he plays because at times he looks nit interested. that said did well yesterday. starts for me at Leicester in a new look front three of hernandez arnie masuaka
anderson dropped to the bench as that level of performance is not acceptable. yes you can be off form as he was but to not try is no excuse. weak in tackles poor corners didnt run but jogged around. a place on the bench will teach him the hard facts of life in the premier league.
Thought he did well when he came on yesterday. We do seem to have gone through this a few times though - he doesn’t start but plays well as a sub whilst we’re chasing a game and spending most of the time on the attack. In his West Ham career to date that has been followed by a game where he then starts and doesn’t do much. Away against Leicester is not a game we can afford to play with a striker who is physically dominated and loses the ball frequently imo.
hammer1975 wrote:Thought he did well when he came on yesterday. We do seem to have gone through this a few times though - he doesn’t start but plays well as a sub whilst we’re chasing a game and spending most of the time on the attack. In his West Ham career to date that has been followed by a game where he then starts and doesn’t do much. Away against Leicester is not a game we can afford to play with a striker who is physically dominated and loses the ball frequently imo.
Too intent on trying to win cheap free kicks. Thats Noble's job. He should be trying to hold the ball up or get into shooting positions, rather than keep going down and slowing our attack down.
Thought he played well and I’d start him with Arnie next week with the injuries we have.
However, interesting to note that another manager sees him as someone who doesn’t stay up top, he was drifting deeper than Arnie whilst Arnie held the line.
He can’t start up top alone, I find it mad that people see his game and Arnie’s game and think we can afford to lose Arnie out wide again.
I cannot see how you can start Hernandez as the central striker in a 4-3-3. Even against Spurs he was falling over the minute someone looked at him hoping for a free kick. He is not strong enough for that role for us. Go to a 2 up with Arnie, especially away from home, and I fear a lot of the defensive frailties of the early games will return.
Did well when he came on, the bloke will always score/create goals. Pellegrini should be looking at how to fit him into that front 3 now that Yarmolenko is out for months.
Patito wrote:Did well when he came on, the bloke will always score/create goals. Pellegrini should be looking at how to fit him into that front 3 now that Yarmolenko is out for months.
Rice
Noble Obiang
Anderson
Hernandez Arnautovic
Using Zabaleta and Masuaku for width with Rice dropping into a back three if needed, Anderson given total freedom.