Anderson the leading man at West Ham
Pellegrini’s patience has brought out the best in mercurial Brazilian after slow start, writes Sam Dean
To fully grasp the extent of Felipe Anderson’s transformation into arguably the most dangerous forward outside of the “Big Six”, it helps to go back to mid-October and a 1-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.
Anderson was so poor, and seemingly so out of tune with the demands of Premier League football, that the West Ham United fans even cheered when he was relieved of set-piece duties, his previous attempts having all failed to clear the first man.
That desperate performance marked a low point for the Brazilian. Signed for a club record £36 million from Lazio in the summer, Anderson had declared upon his arrival that he wanted to be the next “protagonist” at a club known for their cult heroes. After three months, though, he seemed unlikely to be anything more than a bit-part player.
The turning point, for both Anderson and West Ham, was a 4-2 victory over Burnley at the start of last month. Anderson scored twice in a display which his manager, Manuel Pellegrini, described as “massive”. Those were the first in a run of seven goals in Anderson’s last nine Premier League appearances, and the first victory in a run of six wins out of nine for his club.
Anderson’s match-winning double against Southampton on Thursday night underlined how pivotal a figure he has become. No West Ham player has scored as many goals, created as many chances or completed as many dribbles as the 25-year-old, who was once dubbed “Neymar’s little brother” when he played alongside the Paris St-Germain star as a teenager at Brazilian side Santos.
Much of the credit for Anderson’s scintillating form will rightly go to Pellegrini, who kept faith in his marquee signing even after those difficult days earlier in the season. The West Ham manager had every reason to believe that Anderson would come good and few coaches have been as successful at getting the best out these mercurial playmakers as Pellegrini.
The likes of Andres D’Alessandro, Juan Roman Riquelme, Robert Pires, Santi Cazorla, Isco and David Silva all reached new levels of productivity under Pellegrini’s management, whether it was at River Plate, Villarreal, Malaga or Manchester City. In an age where team structure and collective organisation is becoming increasingly important, Pellegrini has maintained his belief that individual talents can determine the outcome of matches.
“You need to know the character of the players,” Pellegrini told The Daily Telegraph this month. “You must also manage one player different to how you manage others. You must know the personalities of all of them.”
Creative attackers have always been at the heart of the best Pellegrini teams. “Good players decide the games,” as he puts it. It seems Pellegrini needs a player like Anderson, and in turn Anderson needs a manager like Pellegrini.
This is not to say that Anderson will be indulged. He knows he must put in the hard yards. He accepted as much on his arrival, when he told The Telegraph: “I want to concentrate on the team aspects of the game – marking, regaining possession.”
He appears to have been successful in this: no West Ham player has made more tackles than Anderson’s 47 this season. In fact, only six midfielders in the entire division have made more tackles than the Brazilian.
Those figures prove there is more than just flair to his game, even if it is the goals and dribbles that so enthuse the West Ham faithful. Anderson is proving his worth and at this rate the only concern in east London will be whether they can keep him long term. definitely not going to happen. The same applied in my first season when I answered this question, 10 or 20 times, when people wondered about this guy, about what he believes, coming here and playing this way in England. It’s not because I ever tried to show you through my words that I am special, or better, or unique, or something like that. I defend what I believe, and I believe in that.”
Guardiola, who joined City in 2016, responded to a trophyless debut season by winning the Premier League with a record 100 points last May, as well as securing the Carabao Cup.
They remain in contention for four trophies this season, although successive league defeats against Crystal Palace and Leicester have dampened the mood at the Etihad Stadium.
His side host Liverpool in the Premier League on Thursday before a third-round FA Cup tie at home to Championship strugglers Rotherham three days later. The City manager suggested that even if his team lost those games as well, the way to rediscover success is to work hard, rather than change their style.
He said: “You can lose two, and three, and four, five. That can happen. On Sunday, we can lose, then again at Liverpool and again in the FA Cup.
“In my experience, when this happens is for everyone to look in the mirror, and work harder. After that, you win one or two, everyone is coming back, and everything becomes normal.”
Guardiola, meanwhile, says City are unable to do anything to keep midfielder Brahim Diaz from joining Real Madrid. The Spain Under-21 international, 19, has been in discussions over a move to the European champions, having become frustrated by a lack of first-team opportunities at the Etihad Stadium.