Gonzo finally opens up on Benni

I’m always somewhat reluctant to discuss Said Benrahma on video. He brings with him a partisan following (much like Chicharito) which makes it hard to appraise him without some sort of backlash.

As a result I’ve found myself either diluting my opinions of him or not discussing him at all. For example if one criticises Pablo Fornals for a bad pass or a poor game it’s generally accepted as a football opinion. The same observations on Benrahma will often result in accusations of ‘hating’ or picking on an ‘easy target’. In essence the criticism is taken as personal rather than sporting.

For the record I was excited when we signed him. I’d seen the highlight reel and marveled at his skills which were numerous and mesmerising. Manager David Moyes had already plucked Jarrod Bowen from the Championship which had been a success so I was keen to see that replicated.

I really don’t know whether he was signed by Sullivan and reluctantly sanctioned by the manager and at this point I really don’t care. Regardless of whether he’s a Moyes signing or not it’s become clear to me that he’s not a Moyes type player.

Benni is not suited to the way West Ham play, the way we press or indeed the way we counter attack. I do believe that he’s a prodigiously gifted player but he falls between the margins of what our team requires positionally. He’s not quite fast enough to be a winger and lacks the instinct to cross early. His best position is probably centrally but he has a tendency to travel with the ball rather than pass early like Lanzini.

I believe that Benrahma would perform well in a possession based team but that’s not how West Ham play. Bowen is a perfect example because he’s direct, aggressive and clinical. In many ways he’s perfectly suited to Moyes tactics and let’s not forget that he was cheaper than Benrahma.

All of the above is almost academic though because I believe three incidents over the two games against Everton and Lyon may have sealed the Algerian’s fate. He pulled out of two 50/50 challenges against Lampard’s team and jogged back into the defence after losing the ball against Lyon.

Of course he’s not alone it making mistakes, Michail Antonio pulled out of a 50/50 with the Olympic Lyonnais keeper in Thursdays game. Unfortunately Benni doesn’t have the credit in the ‘bank of Moysie’ that Antonio does and I suspect that goes for a lot of other players too.

Said Benrahma is a good guy, when he left Brentford he gave his loyalty bonus to the club staff who had helped him with his career. I’d have loved for him to have worked out at West Ham and regret that we’ll not see some of those wonderful match-winning skills he displayed at Brentford.

However I couldn’t help thinking his time was up when I saw him halfheartedly jogging back to his defensive position on in the first leg of the Europa quarter finals. I may be wrong but I suspect Lanzini’s return will seen Benni drop to the bench and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the manger recruit a left winger this summer.