“ATTACK THE BALL! ATTACK THE BALL! DON’T LET THEM OUT! GET UP THE PITCH!”
One of the benefits of football being played behind closed doors, and there aren’t many, is that you can get to hear the players communicating with each other on the pitch although in the first two matches of the restart, that was minimal from West Ham.
Something pleasing about listening in is it reminds you some Premier League footballers are no more different than your average Sunday League hacker down at Hackney Marshes with what they exclaim during the game. “GET RID!” is one of the favourites and obviously the colourful language towards the officials too.
Angelo Ogbonna returned for West Ham in their thrilling 3-2 win over Chelsea in east London on Wednesday night and for the majority of the game, all you could hear was the Italian shouting at his teammates. He is a very senior player in the squad and it seems to be a role he relishes and takes seriously.
It is a complete contrast to Ogbonna off the pitch. The Italian is so softly spoken it can be tough to hear what he is saying in interviews.
After his return on Wednesday, while it didn’t yield a clean sheet for the Italian, the debate for Hammer of the Year is over. If there even was one before kick off, it can end now. Ogbonna wrapped it up with an imperious display against Frank Lampard’s side. West Ham badly missed the 32-year-old in the first two games since lockdown.
Sure, Declan Rice could have something to say about the race and if Jarrod Bowen had been with the club since the summer, you suspect he’d have been in the running as well considering how well he has settled in at the club.
But with Ogbonna back in the team after a hamstring injury, West Ham looked far more organised at the back. They conceded from a penalty after a rash challenge from Issa Diop, whose regression is still concerning, and a wonderful free kick from Willian, but from open play the Blues were limited.
Ogbonna has established himself as West Ham’s best defender this season having rarely featured last campaign as Fabian Balbuena and Diop was Manuel Pellegrini’s first choice pairing. Balbuena’s Copa America exertions last summer and his dreadful first game back against Man City has seen Ogbonna take full advantage.
West Ham were missing their natural leader in Mark Noble against Chelsea after a slight hamstring injury ruled the captain out of the game. Someone needed to step up and Ogbonna did that, he was the most vocal player on the pitch throughout and played like a man determined as well on his return from injury.
The defender is still quick enough at 32-years-old to bail himself out of trouble or keep up with pacy attackers if needed but if he can’t, the centre half has enough nous and guile to position himself correctly to stifle attacking threats. He bullied Tammy Abraham all night at London Stadium and the Blues number nine got next to nothing out the Italian all game.
Remember, this was his first appearance since March 7 thanks to lockdopwn and his hamstring injury.
Defence hasn’t been West Ham’s strong point since they moved to London Stadium in 2016 but there has been one constant since then, Ogbonna. Other defenders have come and gone but the Italian has remained and has arguably got better with each campaign. Now he is at his peak and is undroppable.
Clean sheets are the measurement that defenders will be judged by and West Ham don’t collect many of those but just watching the contrast between the games Ogbonna plays and the ones he doesn’t speaks volumes for Moyes’ team. They need the centre back fit and firing for the rest of the season.
But Hammer of the Year is now done. Voting will open for the fans soon enough but it really should be a landslide victory for the Italian centre back.
