West Ham's Michail Antonio offers more than 'chaos factor' - does he get enough respect?
Versatility in an attribute cherished by coaches, but can lead to players being undervalued by outsiders as they struggle to rid themselves of the 'Jack of all trades' tag. Owen Hargreaves and James Milner certainly suffered from that perception early in their careers, and the same is true of West Ham's Michail Antonio who delivered an exhibition of lone forward play in their crucial victory over Chelsea on Wednesday night.
Signed from Nottingham Forest for £7 million in 2015, Antonio has acquired the double-edged status of cult hero at West Ham - a multi-faceted forward who scores in big games and who successive managers have turned to when the chips are down. Antonio can play on either flank as a game, if slightly hit and miss, dribbler, through the middle as a striker and has even filled in at right-back. Is it now time to evaluate this tactical nomad more seriously, particularly as a roving striker?
With his bustling style and relish for duels, it would be easy to put Antonio's relative successes down to 'chaos factor': the memorable phrase employed by then Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew to justify signing Yaya Sanogo. However, this would do a disservice to a player who has refined his craft and has a broad range of positive qualities. Against Chelsea, apart from scoring West Ham's second goal, Antonio acted as a pressure valve. Only Sebastien Haller and Felipe Anderson have been the target of more West Ham passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season than Antonio's 57.4. They rely on him.
He occupied Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger on his own, making the ball stick with back to goal and also spinning into the channels to provide an outlet. Only one of his seven attempted take-ons close to the touchline came off, but they did buy his team a breather against opposition who monopolise possession. For a player who has been accused of lacking end product, Antonio also took five shots - four from inside the box - and created two chances.
In addition to his adhesive hold-up play and penalty box threat, Antonio is a long-throw specialist. There was a period in the second half at the London Stadium when David Moyes could have used an Antonio clone, such was West Ham's need for him to be in two or three places at once. Footballers are more comfortable in numbers. How often have you heard the argument that a struggling striker needs a partner, a midfielder needs two holding players behind them or a central defender is better in a back three? Playing up front on your own is a hard and fruitless task, a role even lavishly talented forwards can struggle with. Antonio has had to learn on the fly, but has a knack for turning speculative passes in his direction into something productive.
Antonio's admirable work in general play has not always resulted in goals and assists through his career. He is yet to reach double figures for Premier League goals in a single season, although he has surpassed 10 goal involvements in all but one season. Antonio has only scored three league goals this season, but has significantly underperformed an expect goals tally of 6.7. Based on his underlying metrics, Antonio has averaged 0.46 xG per 90 minutes in this season. Although based on a smaller sample of 1,300 minutes played, that is the same return as Sadio Mane. When expected assists are accounted for, Antonio has produced 0.61 xG+xA per 90 minutes in the league this season.
Now 30, the prospect one of the bigger clubs taking a gamble on Antonio is a remote one. He is also a player who thrives when there is space on the counter-attack and in backs against the wall scenarios, a set of circumstances that would rarely be on offer for him in a stronger team. Nevertheless, he is producing performances which demand both greater respect and categorisation as a bona fide forward. Antonio is no longer just a player doing a job.
