Pablo is doing something most strikers in Europe aren’t and West Ham will love it – here’s why
Pablo may not have set the world alight during West Ham’s FA Cup victory against Brentford, but there is one clear reason to keep playing him.
The striker returned from a calf injury to start at the London Stadium on Monday night and led the line, with the Hammers progressing on penalties.
He had been expected to watch on from the stands because of his fitness issues, but managed 60 minutes before being replaced by Taty Castellanos.
While he remains without a goal in his first seven West Ham appearances across all competitions, supporters have taken well to his high-energy style of play.
Now, an intriguing statistic has revealed he could actually be among Europe’s best.
- Read more: Pablo struggles to make his mark, Mateus Fernandes fantastic – West Ham player ratings vs Brentford
Pablo impressing in one key area
Standing at over six feet tall, Pablo is a formidable presence in attack, allowing him to come out on top in bruising encounters with Premier League defenders.
All that is missing is an end product, but judging from his previous numbers, it will be just a matter of time before this changes and the floodgates open.
According to dataMB on X, Felipe is rubbing shoulders with the most elite U23 strikers in the top seven leagues, even if he hasn’t quite shown it at West Ham.
The 22-year-old scores around seven goals per 100 touches, placing him ahead of many of his peers, including Samu Aghehowa.
As the graph shows, he almost stands alone on this front, pointing to his clinical nature.
It should be stressed, however, that these numbers are largely from before his switch to East London, when he caught the eye at Gil Vicente in Portugal.
But Nuno Espirito Santo can safely conclude that Pablo will begin finding the net with his usual ruthless efficiency after he has been given time to adapt to life in England.
How did Pablo play against Brentford?
It was a quiet day at the office for the frontman against Brentford, as the below Sofascore graphic shows.
Pablo took just one shot and completed 74 per cent of his overall pass attempts, but did not record a key pass to a team-mate.
Making matters worse, he gave the ball away 10 times and took only 31 touches. Defensively, he won one of the four ground duels he attempted, and three of 10 in the air.
Perhaps he was not fully match fit, but either way, he would have hoped for better in his bid for regular minutes between now and the end of the season.
For more West Ham news and insight, check out Football Insider.