With David Moyes leaving in the summer, West Ham United fans would have been hoping the arrival of Julen Lopetegui would breathe new life into the club. Some things haven’t changed, however, with Michail Antonio increasingly looking like a lingering relic of the past.
Indeed, the Hammers have had a mixed start to life for the new Premier League season, losing at home to Aston Villa and Manchester City, but winning away at Crystal Palace – they also beat Bournemouth in the League Cup.
Up against Fulham, they struggled and a 24th-minute effort from Raul Giminez looked to have sealed all three points for the home team. That was until Danny Ings popped up with a last-gasp equaliser, making it 1-1 in the 95th minute.
Despite the point, it’s fair to say one man struggled on the day and the stats don’t make for pretty reading either. Indeed, Antonio put in a forgettable performance for West Ham.
Antonio Lets Lopetegui Down vs West Ham
With a 6.3 SofaScore rating, he was the worst-performing player on the pitch. When you delve a little deeper into the stats, it’s not hard to see why he was hooked at half time by Lopetegui either.
During his 45 minute cameo, Antonio looked completely blunt in terms of goal threat as he mustered just one shot at goal – which was blocked. As such, he generated an xG of 0.02. Not only was his poor in that sense, he was also woeful on the ball.
The 34-year-old had a pass rate of 70 per cent as he pulled off just seven of 10 attempts passes. He also failed with two attempted crosses and managed only one long pass out or two. Consequently, he finished the game having lost the ball 12 times – only Lucas Paqueta lost it more times for West Ham, he was also hooked at halftime.
Once upon a time, Antonio could be trusted to wreak havoc on opposition defences but this ineffective display suggests his best years could be behind him. For instance, in the player ratings for London World, it was noted that he just was ‘not there as a viable out ball’.
The forward – who makes £85k-p/w with the Hammers – is sometimes forgiven for what he lacks in direct goal threat, due to his work-rate off the ball. But against Fulham, he failed to deliver on this front either.
Out of four attempted ground duels and two attempted aerial duels, he did not win the ball once. He also finished the game without winning any tackles or interceptions and was dribbled past once. The cherry on top for the embarrassment was that he had just 22 touches in the game, 15 fewer than goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
With all that in mind, it’s fair to say Antonio let Lopetegui down vs Fulham and it’s no shock that he was subbed off at halftime. He is a club undoubtedly great but seeing Ings came off the bench to score a vital goal, and with Niclas Fullkrug now at the club (missing through injury), the 34-year-old can’t afford to have too many days at the office like that again, or else he may struggle for regular game time going forward.
