Alphonse Areola shows worth for West Ham despite 1-0 loss v Dinamo Zagreb
By George Hartley
West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola showed his worth despite a loss in the club’s final Europa League group stage game against Dinamo Zagreb last night.
The Frenchman, who has zero minutes in the Premier League this season, has proven his quality in Europe, keeping three clean sheets across six matches and only conceding four goals.
Areola, signed on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, also impressed for London rivals Fulham last season. However, the 28-year-old has not been successful in ousting veteran stopper Lukasz Fabianski from Moyes’ starting eleven in the league.
Last night, a wonder goal from Dinamo Zagreb winger Mislav Orsic in the opening minutes was enough to earn the Croatian side the victory. However, the focus of West Ham’s fans fell on the group of youngsters given first-team minutes and led out by club icon Mark Noble.
Areola’s performance, though, really highlighted his solidity between the sticks and was the performance of a seasoned stopper with European experience.
The shock goal from Orsic in the early stages would’ve been an almighty challenge for the best keepers on the planet. But Areola wasn’t too far away from keeping it out with an audacious dive, almost getting a hand on it.
An error from two of Moyes’ keen all-teenage back-line, Jamal Baptiste and Harrison Ashby, saw the French goalkeeper sprint from his line to slide and clear the ball. The cross which followed up his clearance was caught calmly and the threat diffused.
A powerful shot by Luka Ivanusec was tipped over the bar by Areola ten minutes before half-time.
After the break, Areola denied Orsic, this time from the edge of the box. A great run from Ivanusec, who excelled on the night, led to the chance which Areola kept out with an excellent reflex save.
The match was far from thrilling but both West Ham and Dinamo Zagreb concluded their group stages on a positive note in different ways.
West Ham United have an option to buy Areola on a permanent basis from this summer. Fabianski has played all available league minutes and only managed three clean sheets in 15 games.
It looks almost certain that next season could see a long-term change between the sticks for Moyes’ side and Areola would be the perfect number one.
In other West Ham news, one youngster’s display stood out in a match to proud of for the Hammers’ Under-23s.
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