Written by: @Daena_bodie

Felipe Anderson has been an influential player for the Hammers this season. With nine goals and four assists so far, the Brazilian has been the difference for West Ham throughout the campaign. Not without a few dry patches here and there, the pacey winger has been a mainstay in Pellegrini’s starting XI as the Chilean boss implements his style.

Having played a total of 2,601 minutes for the Hammers this season, third highest for the club behind Diop and Fabianski, Anderson has rarely been given a night off thus far. With most of his rest coming in cup matches, which have also been scarce, Anderson has seen a lot of action during his first season in England.

Over the past couple of months, Felipe Anderson’s performances have dwindled. He has failed to score a Premier League goal since his brace against Southampton in December and has only registered two assists since then. These are worrying figures for a man who was unstoppable earlier in the season.

Now, having said that, football is much more than goals and assists and it isn’t just the stats that have become a cause for concern. His fading impact in games has become worrisome. The man who has previously dominated games and been a constant threat has started to go missing, which has stagnated a lot of West Ham’s attacking threat.

His influence on the pitch, his unmeasurable qualities, are just as important as his stats and figures. He provides the team with a deadly pace, intelligent passing, and a dribbling ability that, as of late February, had him ranked as the third most successful dribbler in England’s top-flight. But since then, he’s gone a bit cold.

So, it begs the question, could some well deserved rest see the Hammers number 8 regain his form in what is set to be an important end to the season? And can West Ham afford to rest him?

Rather surprisingly, with Lanzini’s return and what seems to be a full berth of attacking midfielders and wingers (bar Yarmolenko) Pellegrini has still been hesitant to drop Anderson to the bench despite his form and the minutes under his belt.

Previously, with West Ham’s injury woes, dropping Anderson would have been a cause for concern. But with Snodgrass, Antonio, Lanzini, Nasri, and Diangana providing ample cover for the Brazilian, having him sit out the next game or two is a lot less daunting than it may have been a few months ago.

With his recent call-up to the Brazilian national squad it means Anderson is likely to see more action over the next 12 days with friendly games against Panama and the Czech Republic lined up.

His consistent game-time could be cause for concern for Pellegrini and while he is unlikely to get the full 90 minutes in both games, the training and travel can still take its toll.

So, should Pellegrini look to rest Anderson? Or is he just too important for the club? We’ll have to wait until Everton at home to find out – but he’s hoping either way we see a strong finish to the season from the influential Brazilian.