West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku has told the club’s official website that he asked Felipe Anderson to help him out with some defending. Masuaku revealed that the pair reflected on the Watford performance and decided that more defensive protection was needed.
The Hammers beat Watford 3-1 but were caught out on the counter-attack a few times. Watford were poor going forward and a better team might have punished West Ham. But Norwich City were not afforded the same counter-attacking freedom.
This is because Masuaku and Anderson worked together to form a solid defensive unit on the left-wing. Anderson tracked back and helped Masuaku – just as much as the pair combined going forward.
Arthur Masuaku requests defensive protection
In an interview with whufc.com, Masuaku said: “We enjoyed it, especially because we weren’t happy in the last game [against Watford] because we didn’t defend as well as we wanted.
“We spoke a lot in training in the week leading up to the game to try to make things better and help him understand more how I want him to defend and help me, and how we can attack well together.”
Arthur Masuaku and Felipe Anderson’s partnership blossoms
Anderson has been a mainstay in Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham starting line-up, operating on the left flank. But he has been unable to strike a permanent partnership due to the chopping and changing behind him.
Pellegrini cannot seem to decide whether Aaron Cresswell or Masuaku is the better option at left-back. But Masuaku is now making that position his own. And the fluency of his link-up play with Anderson is proof that this is a blossoming partnership.
The proof of this is visible in West Ham’s opener last Saturday. Masuaku and Anderson were on the same wavelength as the Hammers left-back surged forward and squared for Sebastien Haller to score.
There has never been any question about Masuaku’s attacking work. Going forward, Masuaku and Anderson can be a lethal combination. But it is refreshing to see them working on defending together and helping West Ham become a more solid unit.
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