West Ham star Pablo Fornals has proved his point to David Moyes but he really must work on a crucial part of his game.
Earlier this week, before the 2-2 draw at Leeds, Hammers News reported how Moyes had turned his back on Fornals when he was just what West Ham need to help stop the rot.
The Spaniard was an unused substitute in the defeat to Brentford but was reinstated for the 2-2 draw at Leeds and was arguably our best player on the night.
A fit and firing Fornals is so crucial to this West Ham team’s success.
Not only for his positive, inventive passing through the lines which is potentially game-changing.
But his workrate, desire, attitude and enthusiasm is just as important.
West Ham star Pablo Fornals proves his point to David Moyes but he really must work on crucial part of his game
Quite why Fornals had been ditched by Moyes after proving himself one of the most important players of the Scot’s era is anyone’s guess.
It was not as if the midfielder was any worse than many of his teammates this season.
West Ham star Fornals has proved his point to Moyes but he really must work on a crucial part of his game.
In 121 Premier League appearances for the Hammers, the Cockney Carzola has scored 14 goals (Premier League).
That figure should be at least double given the chances Fornals spurns.
Fornals all too often mishits or scuffs his shots in and around the box. It is one of the most frustrating parts of his game.
At Leeds he passed up a couple of really presentable chances and somehow shot wide with the goal gaping only to be spared his blushes when VAR awarded West Ham a penalty.
The problem is clear for all to see when you take one look at Fornals’s Prem statistics.
He has had 145 shots in his 121 games but only 45 of them have been on target. His shooting accuracy is a lowly 30 per cent as a result.
Fornals has hit the wordwork for West Ham in the league six times and has missed 12 “big chances” – opportunities where the attacker should be expected to score.
By rights – and virtue of the fact he averages around 1.2 shots per game – Fornals should be a 10-goal per season midfielder.
He simply must work on his finishing and composure and there is no reason he can’t add many more goals to his game with the chances he creates and is presented with.
Of course if Fornals was a deadly finisher scoring 10-15 goals per season from midfield then it is likely he would be playing for Barcelona rather than West Ham.
But even if our much-loved Spaniard ups his shooting accuracy to 50 per cent it would undoubtedly see him add another three or four vital goals to his tally.
One thing is for sure he has won his shirt back in the team. If he can add a more polished end product with his finishing it will not be taken away again anytime soon.
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