What more can be said by Hammers fans about Dimitri Payet? The midfielder has worked wonders for West Ham since he was signed in the summer from Marseille. His name is sung at every game, home and away, and he is very likely to win the Hammer of the Year in his first season. Payet is responsible for carrying West Ham into the new stadium with great optimism for the coming seasons.
However, carrying the team does have its disadvantages as being the focal point of the West Ham attack, Payet is required to play every minute of every game regardless of what the score might be. This leads obviously to tiredness and fatigue slipping into his game.
I was at the recent FA Cup Quarter Final replay match against Manchester United and I barely noticed Payet at all. His name was sung at the start after what he did in the first game and all eyes were on him to lead us to Wembley. But he did nothing of note for most of the game, he made silly mistakes which lost possession, and he hardly ever crossed a ball for a striker to get a head onto. The only time I ever saw him was taking free kicks and corners and honestly, they were very very poor indeed.
Some people will say Payet did have a rest due to his three month injury and that West Ham cannot afford to rest their key man in the pursuit of chasing a top four finish. For me however, I think the top four is beyond us now and we are now battling for the Europa League spots.
For me, I think Payet deserves a rest after all he has done this season for the club and if he is rested, it will allow him to come back next year stronger and fitter having had a years’ experience of playing in a tough league as the Premiership is.