Former Arsenal hardman Martin Keown has said that firm West Ham favourite Mark Noble is part of a serious issue in the midfield for Manuel Pellegrini.
The Hammers currently sit bottom of the pile in the Premier League after the opening weekend after suffering a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield, and will return to the London Stadium to try and get some points on the board against Bournemouth this weekend.
However, in analysing the Irons’ performance, Keown named Noble and summer signing Jack Wilshere as causing a problem in the middle of the park for their manager, noting their lack of “mobility” despite being technically sound.
He wrote in a question and answer in his Daily Mail blog (13:36): “It was difficult (to) judge West Ham (versus Liverpool) because of the quality of opposition they were up against.
“It will be interesting to see if Manuel Pellegrini continues to play Wilshere and Mark Noble together. They are both technical players but did not give West Ham enough mobility in midfield.”
Opinion
Keown has picked up on a problem that not even Manuel Pellegrini might have noticed. Both Noble and Wilshere are experienced players in their roles and have established themselves in the Premier League, but are they too similar? The West Ham stars themselves would probably argue against the suggestion but as two deep lying playmakers whose talents certainly lie in passing and distributing the ball, perhaps Keown has a point. They could do with some energy in the centre, a player who can offer them dynamism and drive both in attack and defence, and there are a couple of figures at West Ham who could well carry out that duty. It may well be why Pellegrini brought in Carlos Sanchez on deadline day last week, and once the former Aston Villa man is up to full speed, he could well act as an ideal foil to whoever he is partnered up with.