Manuel Pellegrini should consider fielding new signing Felipe Anderson as a central attacking midfielder against Bournemouth to get the most out of his dribbling and playmaking abilities.
The Brazilian, who signed for the Irons for a club record £41.5 million from Lazio this summer, made his first Premier League start last weekend, and was one of the few Hammers players to catch the eye as the team were thumped 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield.
Anderson was fairly restricted operating from the left, although it was a particularly difficult game for anyone to be making their Premier League debut in.
It would be little surprise to see Pellegrini stick Anderson there once again for the visit of Bournemouth, but perhaps the Chilean should also consider him as an advanced midfielder/second striker behind Marko Arnautovic.
The Brazilian Olympic gold medal winner has great vision and is undoubtedly a better option than Jack Wilshere or Javier Hernandez dropping deep.
Him in behind Arnautovic could be a very tasty combination, and allow for someone like Andriy Yarmolenko or Robert Snodgrass to come in and offer better width, with Michail Antonio on the right.
It’s certainly an option available to Pellegrini. With Anderson, one thing you have is versatility. Deploying him centrally could allow him more freedom to be dangerous in the final third, with less emphasis on tracking back.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
