OPINION
If any West Ham fan was asked who has been their most consistent player recently, many would answer with striker Marko Arnautovic.
Who could blame them? He has been the player that they have relied on the most this season, and in the midst of their poor run of results, he certainly proved himself to be a gem.
However, the same could not be said for his display against Huddersfield – he had little to no impact, which is rather worrying seeming as he was playing against a side who have been struggling this season.
This was a rather worrying sight to behold, and boss Manuel Pellegrini has a right to be sweating after seeing Arnautovic play.
The first teamer was unusually quiet for the majority of the match, which is bizarre, as he is usually a player who likes to use his strength to bully the opposition’s defenders.
There was no sign of that at the John Smith’s Stadium, and that is very worrying indeed.
Whether it is the burden of being the Hammers’ main frontman, or whether it is his recent injury concerns that are still causing havoc, Arnautovic was clearly not himself.
Pellegrini cannot afford for the Austrian to have a dip in form, as he does not have any decent options to call upon, especially with Lucas Perez on the books.
Yes, this may be a one-off performance and he may surprise everyone when the league returns after the international break, but Pellegrini will no doubt be concerned about what is causing this bad form.
The display has only gone to reinforce just how paramount it is that the Irons bring in another striker in January, as it certainly looks like Arnautovic needs a rest.
Nevertheless, the manager will definitely be sweating buckets right now, and who can blame him?