West Ham striker Javier Hernandez is more susceptible to having bad games than most of his teammates.
The £16 million striker, signed last summer from Bayer Leverkusen, scored against AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday.
That was the Mexico international’s first goal of the new season.
Despite his goal though, Hernandez’s performance was deemed ‘poor’.
That is concerning, because that is Hernandez’s primary, and perhaps only, role in the team when he plays.
It’s more obvious when Chicharito plays poorly
The 30-year-old’s game revolves solely around poaching goals from inside the penalty box.
Hernandez is not the type who will actively go and involve himself in football matches.
He will hold his position and wait for those big chances to come via the industry of his teammates.
You will not catch Hernandez dropping deep in search of a feel for the ball.
You will not find him taking up playmaking duties.
He is an out-and-out poacher; and that’s why when he doesn’t carry out his main role, he cops flak much more easily than most.
Against Wimbledon he did technically do his job in the end by scoring.
But his goal came right at the death, and he missed a great chance in the first half at Kingsmeadow.
West Ham fans mustn’t expect anything else from him
It’s important for Irons supporters to understand Hernandez’s role properly.
He can fade out of games for large periods, but as long as he puts away his chances that’s all that really matters.
When Hernandez has a bad game, it’s often made to look worse because of how absent from the action he was.
He’s made little impact so far, but it’s worth remembering that he can still be deadly from inside the box.
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