Lopetegui must drop West Ham star who had fewer touches than Areola

It’s important not to be too disgruntled after losing against Manchester City, with the cyborg that is Erling Haaland decimating West Ham United’s backline on Saturday to collect his second successive hat-trick, taking his tally to seven Premier League goals from three matches.

Julen Lopetegui’s defensive line simply couldn’t contain him, and though West Ham enter the first international break of the campaign with one win and two defeats, there is plenty to be excited about.

The Irons have enjoyed an immense summer of spending that has repackaged the squad ahead of an objective to push toward European qualification once again.

However, early readings suggest that Michail Antonio’s starting spot at the spearhead needs to be taken away, for he’s flattering to deceive.

Michail Antonio’s performance vs Man City

Antonio was cut off from the flow of the match on Saturday, and that’s not his fault. City’s ball retention and domination made it difficult for West Ham, who temporarily tested the four-in-a-row Premier League champions through a Ruben Dias own goal, but Haaland dispelled any notion of an upset with some deadly finishing.

Antonio was handed a 5/10 match rating against Man City, with 90min’s Sean Walsh writing: ‘Gave his all and worked hard for the cause, though at crucial moments was muscled out by City’s younger and more athletic defenders.’

It’s not the fairest yardstick to use as an indicator of Antonio’s performance level this season, but his efforts across the opening month have left plenty to be desired. He must now be dropped.

Why Michail Antonio must be dropped

The Jamaica international will be 35 years old before the end of the campaign, and while he’s still a brutish presence and a nuisance for defenders, there’s little question that he’s approaching the twilight stage of his career.

With that in mind, Niclas Fullkrug was signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £27m fee in the summer, a similarly hulking figure but more dynamic in his movement and playmaking ability.

Moreover, Jarrod Bowen continues to serve as West Ham’s true attacking talisman, netting twice so far this season after scoring 20 goals across all competitions last year, hailed as “unplayable” by Brentford boss Thomas Frank after firing a hat-trick past his team.

And as you can see above, Antonio’s effort against Pep Guardiola’s unit wasn’t exactly an outlier in his start to the season. Notably, he only made three passes last weekend but the veteran has also yet to hit the target in the Premier League, winning just 33% of his contested duels to boot.

His 17 touches amounted to very little, unleashing one blocked shot, failing with half of his six attempted passes and failing – again – to make a single key pass for his teammates. West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola actually took more touches (23), despite being substituted at half-time due to injury – which really says it all.

It seems like the right time for Lopetegui to think about loosening his grip on his preferred starting line-up, with the numerous summer signings now acclimatising to life in east London and entering the international break with a focus on building cohesion and tackling the forthcoming fixtures.

Antonio, while still a player to can make an impact, must move to the bench, or else West Ham will find themselves operating with a faulty focal point.