Much like his first few games as West Ham’s manager last season, Nuno undertook a fair bit of tinkering with his midfield to arrive at the right pairing within the Championship’s first few games.
Kanté and Orford were in, then out of the side along with a hastily discarded James Ward-Prowse, as the Portuguese coach waited for the arrivals late on in the window of the two players who have subsequently revolutionised his West Ham side.
The pairing of Engels and Mukasa in midfield, (‘Mr Reliable and Hollywood‘-covered by Claret and Hugh yesterday) has seen a structure and solidity leading to a West Ham team with a better defensive and offensive platform: In addition it has seen the end of Nuno’s experimentation with Mohamadou Kanté as a defensive midfielder.
And the results have spoken for themselves.
Kanté has looked a different player, with a goal against Derby and a stunner against Wrexham, running into space with his explosive finish. Don’t forget his assist in the Carabao Cup against Portsmouth in August when he was deployed as a forward-running attacking option rather than a defensive midfielder.
As Greenstreethammers.com suggest;
“Three different moments, three different phases of the season, and the common thread is identical: Kanté with the ball at his feet and grass in front of him….Kanté’s best moments this season have all come with him facing forward, attacking space rather than building play from deep.”
Its taken a few games but Nuno seems to have learned how to get the best out of his French prodigy who, let us not forget, is still just twenty years old and looking like he has a stunning future – if West Ham can play to his strengths.
Let Orford, Alvarez or Magassa be the defensive options from the bench. Kanté going forward offers a breathtaking sight in this division as his pace and power seems, on occasion, unstoppable. He will be an undoubted beneficiary of West Ham’s drop into the championship as he’d have been unlikely to see quite so much game time had the Irons remained in the Premier League.
Providing Nuno gets it right, it looks as if supporters are in for a treat watching the young Frenchman develop this season.