How do West Ham bring the best out of Andy Carroll?
Here is the problem they have. To be effective, Carroll needs pacy wingers delivering crosses. When I look at the West Ham side, I don’t see much speed.
Andre Ayew is not especially quick. Dimitri Payet is a fantastic player but he, too, lacks extreme pace. Manuel Lanzini likes to play through the middle. Michail Antonio is quick enough but prefers to be on the end of crosses, rather than delivering them.
So, if West Ham are to make the most of having Carroll, who do they play wide? I don’t see anyone in the squad who can do the job.
Hull have the leakiest defence in the League but West Ham struggled to get behind them last weekend, even though they managed to scrape a 1-0 win.
Maybe the answer is to look for a striker in the January window who can play alongside Carroll and run in behind defenders. That way, West Ham can cross from deeper positions and use Carroll to flick the ball into space.
When Carroll is at his best, he is a great addition to any side and a handful for any defence, even though his fitness is unreliable, so it is time to find him a partner. The loan signing of Simone Zaza from Juventus has not worked and he seems certain to leave in January. As they try to climb the table, West Ham need to make sure his replacement can do a better job.
