West Ham United shared the points with Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon but VAR has provoked consternation inside the Hammers support once again, a late winner chalked off after the longest VAR check in Premier League history.
Frankly, West Ham have seen a catalogue of decisions – four, to be precise – go against them in the video assistant room over the past two weeks, and there’s validity in the club feeling a little aggrieved.
But let’s not forget, David Moyes’ side are performing quite well at the moment and were worth their salt in the draw against fourth-placed Villa, with Jarrod Bowen at the centre of the action once again.
Why Jarrod Bowen starred vs Aston Villa
It was Bowen’s inswinging corner that allowed Michail Antonio to barrel in his second of the day, only for the strike to be chalked off, the veteran striker adjudged to have handled.
Still, Bowen was lively all game and caused real problems for the Villan defence and shot-stopper Emi Martinez, tweaking his role of late as he shifts back into the right wing, supplementing frontman Antonio.
Jarrod Bowen: Stats vs Aston Villa
Stat
#
Minutes played
90′
Touches
31
Accurate passes
11/15 (73%)
Key passes
3
Shots
0
Crosses
2/6
Dribble attempts
2/5
Duels won
6/15
Tackles
3
Stats via Sofascore
The 33-year-old’s return from injury has pumped cohesion back into the outfit, and Bowen thrived in creating and causing a threat down the wing, proving his dynamism and multi-functionality given that he has plundered 18 goals from 37 matches across all competitions this season.
But Sunday’s match proved something that might seem strange. While Bowen has been West Ham’s most effective and most influential forward this season, he’s not actually the most important player under Moyes’ wing – that’s Edson Alvarez, the man in the middle.
Why Edson Alvarez is West Ham’s most important player
After another brilliant performance at the weekend, the Independent’s Malik Ouzia handed Alvarez an 8/10 match rating, writing: ‘Outstanding at the base of midfield, covering the ground that allowed the front-four to press on. Booked and now faces a two-game ban in what will be a huge blow.’
Alvarez was monstrous, completing 94% of his passes, winning four duels, making two tackles, three clearances and one interception and succeeding with five of his six attempted long balls, as per Sofascore.
Effectively the like-for-like replacement for Declan Rice last summer, Alvarez has cemented himself as the glue in the West Ham engine room following his £35m arrival from Ajax, with The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas even pronouncing him the club’s “best summer signing” despite the success of Mohammed Kudus and the creativity of James Ward-Prowse.
But what makes him so important? As per FBref, the 26-year-old ranks among the top 14% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for tackles, the top 20% for interceptions, the top 4% for blocks, the top 1% for clearances and the top 30% for aerial wins per 90.
He also averages 5.5 ball recoveries, 2.5 clearances and 4.9 successful duels per game in the Premier League this season, with steely anchoring abilities that make him a singular star at the heart of West Ham’s system.
The Mexican’s booking against Aston Villa means that he will suspended against the upcoming Premier League fixtures against Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
It cannot be understated how big of a blow this will be. The fact remains that he is now undroppable. Unfortunately, the forthcoming period of football will be contested without his command. Enter Kalvin Phillips?
