Phillips names one West Ham player who has disappointed him this season
Despite all the disappointment and frustration of this season for West Ham United, there’s one player who has largely escaped criticism.
Yes, Declan Rice. The Hammers’ star midfielder has been largely solid this campaign, although he’s not been able to drag the team out of its season-long funk.
The 21-year-old remains a quality player, and has certainly been better than the majority of his teammates this term.
However, he’s not escaped the withering glare of former England international Kevin Phillips, it seems.
“Players have not performed,” he told Football Insider. “Declan Rice does not look the kind of player we thought he would be.
“Losing Felipe Anderson is a blow because he is a good player. Of course, Haller has not scored the goals that David and the fans would have liked. It is a combination of things.
“It is going to be tough, but David Moyes has done it before, he has the experience but ultimately the players need to step up and give performances. It is going to be a struggle for them.”
Is Phillips being too harsh on Rice, here?
It’s difficult to say. The England international isn’t lighting up games in the same way that he was last season. However, his statistics are remarkably similar, if not slightly better.
His average tackles per game are up from 2.9 to 3.1, his interceptions now at twice a game rather than 1.5, while his average WhoScored rating per outing is up ever so slightly from 6.93 to 6.94.
So he’s ostensibly performing at a similar level, it’s just that he looks worse because the team have been doing worse.
In other West Ham news, Alan Hutton has revealed a recent personal interaction with one Hammers star.