Arthur Masuaku has started ahead of Aaron Cresswell in three of West Ham United’s four games and the latter will find it difficult to get back in the side.
Apart from the opening day drubbing at the hands of defending champions Manchester City, West Ham have had a solid start to the campaign winning two and draw another. Sebastien Haller is beginning to show the world why the Hammers paid so much for him while Manuel Pellegrini seems to be getting his tactics right more often than not.
The game against Norwich was hard to predict beforehand but West Ham convincingly dispatched the newcomers 2-0. Haller and Andriy Yarmolenko got on the score sheet but left-back Arthur Masuaku was one of the best players on the pitch against the Canaries.
The Congolese international is still nearing peak fitness after participating in the African Cup of Nations but his performance showed exactly what he is capable of. Maasuaku registered his first assist in the Premier League since last December and if that’s a sign of things to come, Irons fans can be excited about this season.
In his 90 minutes, Masuaku successfully completed two clearances, one block and two interceptions. He on four out of his six attempted tackles and also recovered the possession four times. The 25-year-old also won 10 of his 12 ground duels, was not dribbled past in the entire game and maintained a hugely impressive 92% passing accuracy. (SofaScore)
With a lot of the season still to go, Masuaku will need to keep up the good work to help his side achieve their ambitions but fellow left-back Aaron Cresswell might stay on the bench. The Englishman started the first game of the season against Manchester City but hasn’t featured in the league since.
Cresswell’s chances of making a comeback ahead of Masuaku is extremely slim especially if the former Olympiacos man continues his good form. However, this should increase the competition between the two for a spot in the starting lineup and that can only be a good thing for Pellegrini and his side.
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