Fans have noticed something very concerning about West Ham star Said Benrahma at the end of the win over Freiburg.
West Ham returned to Germany for the first time since the heartbreak of their ill-tempered Europa League semi-final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt 18 months ago.
But this time the Hammers conquered as they came away with a deserved 2-1 win thanks to goals from Lucas Paqueta and Nayef Aguerd.
West Ham set a new English record by going 17 European matches unbeaten at the Europa-Park stadium despite the absence of any Hammers fans due to a UEFA ban.
David Moyes’ side have scored in every one of those 17 games, 16 of which have been wins. Indeed West Ham have only lost four of their 29 games in Europe after their perfect start to a third consecutive campaign – and one of those was a dead rubber in which Moyes fielded a team of kids.
Being in Europe has its benefits for team harmony too.
It gives West Ham’s manager the scope to share out game time among his squad and keep players happy.
But one player who will perhaps be anything but is Said Benrahma.
The Algerian winger established himself as a regular starter last season, pushing himself ahead of the likes of Pablo Fornals.
That culminated with scoring in the Europa Conference League final and going down in West Ham folklore as a result.
But Benrahma has slipped down the pecking order this season with the arrivals of Mohammed Kudus, James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez resulting in a change of dynamic and Lucas Paqueta moving out to the left hand side in many games.
In an ideal scenario the added competition drives improved performance and desire from players when they do get a chance.
But fans noticed something very concerning about West Ham star Benrahma at the end of win over Freiburg.
He came on for Kudus with around 10 minutes remaining. But many supporters were unimpressed by his lack of work rate and effort.
It is understandable that Benrahma might be demotivated. And it’s always hard to get into the game when coming on so late on.
One moment in particular struck West Ham fans as odd, though.
The ball was played down the line and Benrahma would have been in as Freiburg threw men forward in search of an equaliser.
The winger had a good five to 10 yards on the nearest Freiburg player. But he halfheartedly chased after it, allowing his opponent to get there before him.
Supporters on social media and fan forums noted Benrahma’s lacklustre display and many have suggested he might be sulking at having lost his place.
In Benrahma’s defence he simply might not up to his usual speed and sharpness due to the lack of game time so far this season.
Benrahma still gives West Ham something they don’t have with his direct running and skill. The consistency of his end product has always been the thing holding him back.
He has been a great professional for West Ham during some difficult times when he deserved to be playing but wasn’t under Moyes.
Let’s hope he maintains a positive professional attitude because he is well liked by West Ham fans and there will be plenty of games to go around this season.
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