It wasn’t the result many West Ham fans wanted, but a 1-1 draw against Brighton saw the Hammers earn their first point of the season.
As well as getting on the board in the Premier League table, the result also saw a player many supporters thought would be departing this summer make a significant impact on the pitch and ultimately help Manuel Pellegrini’s side to the draw, Javier Hernandez.
The Mexican striker scored the opening goal of the game as the former Bayer Leverkusen attacker was able to squeeze the ball under Matty Ryan to score West Ham’s first goal of the season.
It was a classic Chicharito goal, a smart finish inside the area that received a little bit of luck before rolling into the back of the net, and it served as a stark reminder that the Mexican international still has what it takes to deliver in the Premier League, and it could work as inspiration for Pellegrini to try something new in the West Ham XI.
As formation numbers from Transfermarkt show, Pellegrini is not one to opt for a two-man strike partnership consistently during his time at West Ham. However, this is something we have seen the Chilean boss deploy in the Premier League with Manchester City during their 2013/14 title-winning season.
With Sebastien Haller joining the club from an Eintracht Frankfurt team that flourished using a two-man strike force as well as Hernandez’s previous success with working in a similar system whilst at Manchester United, Pellegrini could be onto a winner if he is to shift tactics to accommodate the two strikers in the same formation.
Hernandez has proven that he still has the quality to start in the Premier League, and playing alongside a striker of Haller’s hold-up ability and attacking prowess, West Ham could unleash one of the deadliest striking duos in the league if Pellegrini allows the forwards to work off each other in the same starting XI.
