Pelle opens up on the Chicharito ‘dive’

Manuel Pellegrini has raised a defence of Chicharito’s dive at Cardiff although it’s unlikely to convince many.

The striker is likely to step aside for Marko Arnautovic this afternoon against Huddersfield but it would seem from the manager’s comments that it won’t be on account of diving.

The Mexican drew the wrath of the Hammers fans last week when he tried to earn a spot kick with a dreadful piece of stimulation.

It has never been part of the West Ham Way but the manager feels it’s a case of understanding how the striker plays the game.

He said when asked by reporters: of his opinion on the incident and whether he had spoken to Chicharito about it that he was talking to players all the time.

He declared: “I am always speaking with the players, with the team, what we are doing well, what we are doing wrong.

There are some instant moments when they don’t think what they are doing, maybe you feel a touch…of course it is not good to do it but it is the way Chicarito tries to play. It was one action.

There are a lot of actions during the game when you might think that a player has dived but if you have played, if you are running, you know that if it is a light touch it can make you fall down so it is not easy to decide when it is really simulation or when you are not touched and it is your intention to cheat the referee.”

The manager has indicated this week that he believes Arnautovic is now over his various probems and ready for a comeback but it’s impossible to predict whether that will be the case.

For the boss has shown in the past that he is the master of surprise and it’s an intriguing situation as we approach kick off.