What Is Going Wrong For Chicharito at West Ham – How Can Slaven Bilic Utilise His Full Potential?
Javier Hernandez is a name that still resonates in the hearts of a lot of Manchester United faithful. How can one ever forget their beloved Chicharito – who burst onto the scene in the toughest of situations and yet managed to score goals? He was loved by the Red Devils and was hated by the opposition fans, simply because he was too good.
The move to let him leave United is something that continues to frustrate the fans. After exiting Old Trafford, Chicha spent some time at Bayer Leverkusen before joining West Ham this summer. At West Ham though, something seems to be off for the player.
The Hammers have had problems settling in at London Stadium, but Chicharito will certainly boost the club’s profile while offering match-going fans a thrilling presence to boost the atmosphere.
Slaven Bilic signed Hernandez to establish a legitimate attacking threat other than the injury-prone Andy Carroll. For his entire career, Hernandez has been seen as a secondary striker, due to which he was often disregarded by big clubs despite the fact that he produces results regardless of where he is. For the Hammers to extract the best out of the player, they need to make some significant changes.
One major thing they need to understand is that Hernandez thrives in and around the box. Aerially, the Mexican is quite strong but his goals generally come from play and not set-pieces. Set-pieces are difficult because they minimise his agility and turn the game into a mere physical battle.
The Hammers should try to play more on the break and take more shots from distance to take full advantage of Hernandez’s work in the box. For that to happen, creating a larger amount of chaos for him to capitalise on becomes crucial for West Ham, since that will help them make the best use of his ability.
Moreover, with the combined pace and creativity of Arnautovic, Lanzini and Antonio behind Hernandez, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to score more goals as a unit. Each player is quite adept at movement and creativity while going forward, and that can prove to be a major turning point for the club. Through balls and attacking on the break will be crucial for Bilic’s side.
West Ham need to play a clean game of counter-attacking football to get the best output from Chicharito. Furthermore, if they manage to do so, their quality in the attack will be more than good enough to trouble even the best sides in the country.