It may be no coincidence that, in the three Premier League matches Taty Castellanos has won since joining West Ham United, all of those victories came when he started alongside another striker.
It was Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe against Tottenham and Sunderland.
Callum Wilson came into the team as West Ham United defeated relegation rivals Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor a fortnight ago; a day in which El Hadji Malick Diouf assisted Castellanos’ first Premier League strike since that January move from Lazio.
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Castellanos and Pablo may have only one league goal between them so far. But, as captain Jarrod Bowen explained following that 3-1 victory over Sunderland, the new-look Castellanos/Pablo partnership gave West Ham a ‘platform’ to build upon.
Two hard-working if not-especially potent centre-forwards working in tandem to press from the front, open up spaces, and provide a physical outlet in the final third. It is surely no coincidence that Crysencio Summerville is threatening to emulate Carlos Tevez following the addition of two strikers whose mere presence gives him far greater freedom to wreak havoc.
Taty Castellanos relishes playing alongside Pablo Felipe at West Ham United
Speaking on Agusneta and Teo D’elia’s YouTube channel, Castellanos admits that the addition of the prodigiously hard-working Pablo has helped him to settle into life at the London Stadium. The two strikers joined only a day apart in January.
“Now, I am a very different player compared to the ‘penalty-box striker’ of the past,” says Castellanos. “Now, I’m [suited to] modern football. Maybe you move to find the ball. The enganche [traditional number ten] doesn’t really exist anymore.
“I like it more with a two number nines. I feel more comfortable.”
While two-striker systems are a bit of a rarity in the current era, there has been a slight resurgence of late. Inter Milan reached the Champions League final with Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez leading the line, for instance. Castellanos also played his best football for Lazio alongside veteran Pedro or the imposing Boulaye Dia.
And Castellanos feels the presence of Pablo has helped him to play his natural game at West Ham, dropping deep and linking the play rather than battling against big centre-halves. He also indicates that, because Pablo is still unavailable to Nuno due to a calf injury, he has found life a little harder in his teammate’s absence.
“Inter plays [with two strikers]. We vary it from time to time [at West Ham],” Castellanos adds. “In the first few games, we played with another nine too, with the kid Pablo who just arrived.
“And well, he got hurt. Now, I’m playing alone.
“My second year with Lazio, I had a blast because we played with two strikers and a playmaker behind with Pedro. I played a lot with Pedro or Dia and, honestly, we got tired of scoring goals and playing well! We finished first in the Europa League [group] and everything!”
Castellanos is dreaming of a World Cup spot with Argentina
It appears that there are a lot of West Ham fans who agree with Castellanos’ assessment; the Londoners are at their most threatening with two centre-forwards on the pitch.
Hence why so many of our Hammers News readers feel that Nuno must start Callum Wilson against Liverpool next time out, dropping Mateus Fernandes into a deeper midfield role in the process. Wilson ‘made a difference’ off the bench vs Bournemouth on Saturday, nearly scoring with one of his first touches.
What to do with Wilson? ⚒️
Start him? Or keep him as an impact sub?
Despite still being entrenched in the relegation zone ahead of a daunting selection of fixtures – Liverpool, Man City and Aston Villa to come in the next month – Castellanos is having a lot of ‘fun’ at West Ham.
He remains hopeful of securing a spot in Argentina’s World Cup squad, too. Though that is easier said than done, given that the most recent of his two caps came in 2024.
“I don’t know how many chances [I will get to represent my country again]. The important thing is to do things well here. If I perform well and I’m in good shape, obviously one always dreams. You have to go for it,” Castellanos explains.
“The coaching staff in Argentina does a great job because they keep everyone prepared. Everyone feels useful. I live and think about the National Team constantly. I train and I think about the National Team all day because I love it.
“It’s a World Cup year and I wanted to be in a top league. If you get called up, great. If not, you have to be ready regardless.
“It’s a difficult position because I’m competing with the best in the world: Julian [Alvarez, of Atletico Madrid], Lautaro… there are a lot of guys doing great in Europe. You have to be mentally and physically ready so that when your moment comes, you can compete.
“Nobody gives you anything for free.”
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