Tale of two strikers may decide weekend game

By CandH’s top blogger Allen Cummings

Only David Moyes knows for sure whether or not he’ll go again with the enigma that is Sebastien Haller for Saturday’s visit of Fulham – or whether his patience with the big striker is about to run out.

If Haller is given a further opportunity to perform to the standard his original price tag warrants – as looks likely – there will be an interesting match-up to consider between him and Fulham’s own likely leader of the line, Aleksandar Mitrovic. A case of what we have – and what we ‘might’ have had!

The Serbian was said to be a West Ham target when Fulham were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2018-19 season.

His 11 goals weren’t enough to keep the Cottagers up, but the Hammers were said to be impressed enough by the big striker, that a move to the London Stadium was widely being speculated.

It turned out differently and instead  Manuel Pellegrini plumped for the more expensive services of Haller.. In the event Mitrovic remained in west London and was instrumental in Fulham’s swift return to the top flight – scoring 26 times in 41 Championship appearances last term.

Mitrovic – on the Irons radar before committing to Fulham

Haller on the other hand struggled last season, scoring just seven times in the league and never really looked like justifying his £45m price tag.

Haller and Mitrovic are similar in build and stature. Both 6’2” tall – and naturally strong in the air because of it. But Haller has been regularly criticised for not using his physical attributes to full advantage, whereas Mitrovic has sometimes been panned for being over-aggressive in his play.

Neither has what you’d call great pace or mobility, one reason why Haller has struggled to fill the boots of the absent Michail Antonio, who has both in abundance.

Mitrovic has regularly played the role of ‘leader of the line,’ adept at holding the ball up when required, and bringing others into play as a result.

Despite his size Haller doesn’t excel in that particular area, and the suggestion has frequently been aired that we will only see the best of him if Moyes plays him in tandem with a partner, creating a similar relationship to the productive one he had with Luka Jovic at Eintracht Frankfurt.

But that’s unlikely given Moyes’ preference for a different system for the team. With the next transfer window on the horizon, Sebastien must know his chances of proving the doubters wrong are diminishing by the week.

David Moyes’ comment at his pre-match presser, when asked about Haller, couldn’t be clearer. “What I want to see is a fully committed and whole-hearted centre forward who we know will contribute to the team,”

Scott Parker knows that’s exactly what he’ll get from Aleksandar Mitrovic. We can only hope we’ll get the same from Sebastien Haller.