Two goals but I was terrible, says Haller
Sebastien Haller might have become West Ham United’s record signing this summer, but there is no sign that the status that accompanies a hefty £45million price tag has gone to the forward’s head.
No one would have begrudged him a moment of self-congratulation after his double in the 3-1 win at Watford in his second game for the club. Haller thought differently.
“It was a terrible game for me,” he said. “Yes. I wasn’t that good today – it wasn’t my best game. But at the end it was two goals – that is the job of the striker. Even if sometimes it is not easy to judge someone when he doesn’t score but plays a good game. Today was the opposite. I am just happy that I helped the team to win the game.”
Haller was being unduly hard on himself but Manuel Pellegrini, the West Ham manager, will have been quietly pleased that the Frenchman, signed after Marko Arnautovic moved to China and Andy Carroll was released, offered no signs of complacency as he settles into life in the Premier League.
Pellegrini had targeted the 25-year-old following Haller’s fine performances for Eintracht Frankfurt last season. Haller scored 20 goals in all competitions but just as impressive was his ability to bring out the best in team-mates, most notably Luka Jovic whose form earned him a move to Real Madrid.
Haller acknowledges it will take time to bed in, but his goals provide an immediate release of some of the pressures placed on an expensive new arrival while there were parperienced ticular signs of encouragement in the way he linked with substitute Michail Antonio.
Operating as the focal point of the West Ham attack, Haller made an immediate contribution, leading the counter-attack that led to Mark Noble giving the visitors a thirdminute lead from the spot after Manuel Lanzini had been brought down by Abdoulaye Doucoure. The Frenchman then featured less prominently until Antonio’s arrival shifted the momentum of the game to West Ham. Haller had already put Pellegrini’s side ahead in the 64th minute with a close-range finish before he reacted well to head his second after Ben Foster pushed Antonio’s header on to the bar.
The need to justify a club’s outlay can weigh heavily on a player, particularly at West Ham where any number of high-profile strikers have failed to live up to the billing. However, Haller, said: “I have to say in football that there is always pressure. Sometimes because of a big transfer, sometimes it is if I am going to play or have a contract and everything. I can’t say I have pressure – this is part of the game. It is good pressure because they have bought me for a lot of money.”
While Haller’s goals, together with a first win of the season, give Pellegrini cause for optimism, Javi Gracia is experiencing an uneasy start. Three defeats have extended the losing streak that started with the last four of last season and with Troy Deeney out injured for two months, the Watford manager badly needs a lift. “It’s disappointing,” said midfielder Tom Cleverley. “We’re all accountable. You have to start with yourself when you are in a sticky patch. But we can’t feel sorry for ourselves.”