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Danny Mills has claimed that West Ham United’s weak link is their centre-back partnership of Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna, as reported by Football Insider.
This comment comes after the Hammers’ 2-0 victory over Manchester United, in which Diop made 6 clearances and 1 interception, while Ogbonna made 2 tackles and 6 clearances, as per WhoScored.
The result meant that the pair had been part of a defensive unit that had kept three Premier League clean sheets in a row, as per Transfermarkt, something West Ham didn’t manage in the entirety of last season.
Despite this, Mills pointed towards the pair when asked about West Ham’s weak link by Football Insider: “Centre-backs, I’m still not hugely convinced by Diop and Ogbonna, they will give you chances from time to time.
“It’s better than it was, when you go player for player against Manchester United, I think they probably just about shave it. Maybe six players to five, it’s quite close, but on paper maybe West Ham’s starting XI is a little bit better than Manchester United.
“That shows how much West Ham have improved but also the fall and demise of Manchester United.”
There have been times when the pair have been troubled out wide, such as when Diop bundled over Daniel James after the Welshman nipped in to steal the ball, but it feels harsh to criticise a defensive pairing who have been integral to three consecutive shutouts.
The first of those came against Norwich City, with Teemu Pukki who had scored in all of his Premier League games up until that point, while the second came despite the team being reduced to 10 men after Arthur Masuaku’s dismissal away against Aston Villa.
In addition, despite conceding five against Manchester City – a game Ogbonna was not involved in – there are now only five teams who have conceded less goals in the league than West Ham this season, as per the official Premier League website.
If the pairing who contributed to that is a weak link, then West Ham are in a very good position at the moment.
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