West Ham United: Three hopes, one fear
By Sean Maslin
The big fear: That Dmitri Payet cannot deliver in year two.
In year one, Dmitri Payet exceeded all expectations by becoming one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. His patience in building the attack and his runs down the left flank gave Premier League defenses nightmares last season. Furthermore his ability to make a pass with his back to the goal for Carroll, Sakho, and Enner Valencia made their jobs much easier last season.
But that was last year and the big question is if Payet can do it again. Looking back at his career it is not clear if he can be that type of midfielder that a club can depend on every year. At Marseilles his work with his back to the goal was impressive. But his patience at times was not there and at times he seemed to be too rushed in making decisions. His work was also inconsistent with Lille, with the exception being his final year with the club.
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Many of these inconsistencies could be chalked up to a lack of a consistent roster with Marseilles and Lille. French football is not exactly known for having players stay for multiple years. So having pretty much the same teammates from last season should help Payet and by extension West Ham.
Payet turned heads last season at Upton Park. West Ham are going to need for him to do it again at the Olympic Stadium if they want to finish in the top ten again and make another deep run in a cup competition.