Eddie Nketiah showed why experience matters in his West Ham showing.
Eddie Nketiah seems to have moved ahead of Alexandre Lacazette in the pecking order at Arsenal in recent weeks after making consecutive starts in the Premier League with the Frenchman only starting from the bench.
He repaid some of Mikel Arteta’s faith in him when he scored a goal against Everton, but he struggled against West Ham in his last start and his performance in that game showed why he still has a long way to go.
West Ham was organised at the back against the Gunners as they battle to save themselves from relegation.
David Moyes had drilled his side to treat the threats of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette, and Eddie Nketiah specifically and they did a good job.
Arsenal struggled to break them down but Lacazette came off the bench to land the killer blow on the Hammers.
Nketiah struggled for the duration he stayed in that game, the Hammers were able to cut him off from his other teammates and limited the supply of balls he could get.
An experienced attacker would have been able to find some space or drag the Hammers defence to make room for his fellow forwards, but Nketiah didn’t show those instincts.
I know that it is still too early in his career for him to be the smartest forward in the team, but the Hammers’ game should have shown Mikel Arteta that it is probably time to return the more experienced Alexandre Lacazette to the starting XI.
An article from Ime
