West Ham have found it difficult so far in the 2019/20 Premier League campaign, and could the absence of Mark Noble be the reason?
The Hammers succumbed to an opening day mauling at the hands of Premier League champions Manchester City, conceding five times and failing to score themselves at London Stadium. That was followed by a respectable 1-1 draw against Brighton, but they certainly rode their luck to gain their first point of the campaign.
However, Noble was absent from both games due to injury and it looks like the Irons could struggle without a recognised leader on the pitch.
One player who has returned to the fold in east London is Jack Wilshere. The former Arsenal midfielder missed a substantial chunk of the 2018/19 season through injury, but returned to pre-season this summer fit and raring to go.
He impressed Manuel Pellegrini throughout and has started both opening encounters, playing alongside the talented Declan Rice in central midfield.
Despite his impressive pre-season performances, Wilshere has failed to make an authoritative mark in the middle of the park thus far and his most recent display against the Seagulls was extremely disappointing; a performance that saw him substituted at half-time.
The Hammers failed to strengthen the defensive midfield position over the summer; although the signing of highly-rated Pablo Fornals was an exciting one, it failed to address the midfield issue and that has been apparent in West Ham’s opening 180 minutes of action.
Rice often finds himself isolated in the centre of midfield and takes on too much defensive responsibility for a 20-year-old prospect. Wilshere has not provided the Hammers with enough discipline to form a strong bond alongside Rice – the latter is much more comfortable with Noble as his midfield partner.
Noble’s quality and contribution is often easily overlooked and, quite frankly, underrated. The 32-year-old is losing legs, though, and cannot play 90 minutes for 38 Premier League matches.
Pellegrini will be tempted to bring Noble back into the fold when he returns from injury, but I have been disappointed with Wilshere thus far and feel he has a lot more to give.
On his day, Wilshere is an outstanding midfield talent but he needs to adapt and exhibit more defensive discipline to thrive in a claret and blue shirt. Noble is an excellent asset, but if the Hammers are serious about pushing into the realms of the top seven, they need to look towards the long-term – something Noble simply cannot provide due to his age.
