George Marchant > In recent times, ‘West Ham’ and ‘strikers’ are not two terms that go together smoothly. Our persistent issues of finding an out and out striker can be seen as perhaps one of the main contributors as to why we have seen such inconsistency in performances throughout previous seasons. This season has seen our striker issues worsen with our club record signing, Sébastien Haller, moving on to Ajax having only scored 10 goals in 48 league games for the club. This left the Hammers with only one recognised first team striker at the club, Michail Antonio, who is not technically a striker through and through. Although Antonio has turned into possibly one of the best forwards outside of the other top six clubs, his injury record has provided further headaches for the West Ham coaching / management team and the fans.

Our victory against Sheffield United saw us line up with no recognised strikers at all. Our front three of Bowen, Lingard and Lanzini may have raised eyebrows when the team sheet was announced. However, the 3-0 scoreline showed just how far our team has come in the last 18 months. Once again, Lingard showed what his Man Utd manager and teammates have been missing, Bowen showed that the step up from Championship to Premier League is no issue for him and Lanzini showed promise that he is slowly advancing towards returning to the player we saw pre-2018. The front three’s performance against the Blades was certainly entertaining to watch and proved that we have some real quality now in our squad. The question is though, do we stick with this line-up in our upcoming games?

It is clear that Antonio is a frequent presence in the medical room. His hamstrings seem to be made of wet cardboard and when they go, we can expect him to be out for at least a month each time. In addition to his injury issues, we have the problem of maintaining fitness through the busiest Premier League schedule in history. In some recent games, we have seen Antonio put in half performances; nothing like the usual powerful and menacing forward we have come to adore. The lacklustre performances are a first-hand sign that he cannot play three games in a week. This is a worrying sign and one which could deter are chances of finishing in the top six this season.

Antonio’s fitness is always going to be a hot topic for as long as we do not have a credible backup option. This is why the win against Sheffield United showed that things may not be as bad as they seem. Yes, we were paying the worst club in the league, but the performance was fantastic from the makeshift front men. If we can keep Antonio fit for some of the tougher fixtures on the schedule and use the alternative front three option for games against lesser opponents for the remainder of the season, then our European dreams may come true.

Our next game against Tottenham is one of the games Antonio is a must starter, so is the Manchester City game. These are the fixtures Antonio should be able to strive in and the opposition defenders will be wishing he wasn’t in the line-up. It’s the games against the likes of Leeds, West Brom and Newcastle in which Antonio may be able to be rested and Bowen, Lingard and Lanzini/Benrahma can come in to do the job. These teams have the worst defences in the league and the Sheffield United games showed that these players can finish off these types of teams. Antonio will also be able to get a rest and ensure we can have him firing on all cylinders for the more difficult encounters.