WHZ View: Moyes is limiting Benrahma in unfamiliar central role
Said Benrahma got his chance to impress from the start for West Ham United against Everton on Friday night.
However, starting in a central role with Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen either side of him, the Algerian failed to leave a mark on the game and looked a shadow of the exciting player we saw at Brentford last season.
Despite starting centrally, West Ham simply could not get Benrahma into the game on a consistent basis.
As per WhoScored, Jarrod Bowen and Sebastien Haller were the only two outfield players who touched the ball fewer times than Benrahma at Goodison Park.
When he did manage to involved in the action and get on the ball, his end product failed to live up to expectations.
Benrahma had the lowest pass success rate (73%) of any outfield player for the Hammers and he was dispossessed three times during the victory.
One of the Algerian’s most useful assets at Brentford last season was his ability to beat his man and in the Championship, he was averaging just shy of 10 dribbles per 90 minutes, according to Wyscout.
Playing primarily out on the left, this is a position that many West Ham supporters would have expected the winger to take up when he arrived at the London Stadium.
David Moyes has cited the player’s ball retention as something that he needs to improve if he wants to nail down a regular place in the Hammers starting XI.
However, playing in a central role might just be exposing that to a great depth with Benrahma losing possession of the ball 19 times against Everton – the most times he has done so in a West Ham shirt.
It was telling that against Everton, Benrahma only managed to attempt three dribbles throughout the entire game.
In other West Ham news, Steve McManaman was blown away by one Angelo Ogbonna moment in West Ham win v Everton