If Said Benrahma’s West Ham career could be summed up in just one week, then it would be the last seven days for the Algerian. His performance against Burnley was exceptional including a superb assist, but his shooting radar was slightly off at Turf Moor that night. Fast forward to Sunday afternoon and his contribution was minimal against Everton, as were all of West Ham’s attacking players who failed to hit the target once. Because of his potential talent, Benrahma is often singled out by David Moyes for criticism and advice in equal measure. The manager is asked about the Algerian in almost every press conference so it is not a case of Moyes singling him out more being polite enough to answer a direct question. The boss was not for example asked about Jesse Lingard’s off day or Andriy Yarmolenko’s anonymous 20-minute cameo, but he was straight up asked “Has Said Benrahma struggled to adapt to the Premier League?”
Moyes replied: “I think it is difficult for many players who come to the Premier League, you often see big buys coming in, people who have spent big money on players and it takes them some time to settle. The Premier League is very demanding, it is different from what is required of other leagues so this is a big step up for Said just as it was for Jarrod Bowen who has started and done very well for us. It is the same for Said. Benrahma also did well the other night [against Burnley]. I am looking for more consistency from him, though, in his level of training and in the step up to the Premier League. He demonstrated in the Championship with Brentford what he is capable of achieving and he will be able to do it in the Premier League. I thought Said did a lot of good things tonight. His decisions have to be something we can all understand and we can read, and I actually think he needs to hit the target more often than he has done. I think if he hits the target more often, he had a chance today where he bent one in the far corner, I was hoping that he would score. But I have to say he has been working hard in training, I like him a lot and I do think he has a big impact to play this season but I think in seasons to come as well.”
Moyes was not the only one asked about Benrahma form with Jesse Lingard questioned about his teammate’s season-long goal drought following the huge miss against Everton.
Jesse Lingard said “I don’t think he’s putting pressure on himself. He’s arriving in the right areas to score and it’s just about executing.”
Benrahma was not the only Hammer to struggle in the attacking positions against Everton, none of the West Ham attack threatened to any great extent. The Toffees backline were compact, organised, and snuffed out nearly every Hammers attack. Lingard has urged his teammates to put the defeat behind them and return to action against Brighton next weekend “on the front foot.” Whether Benrahma retains his place in the side could be down to injuries but even if the 25-year-old does find himself back on the bench he can find comfort in these words from his manager.
David Moyes said “Said has had some really good performances for us but as you can see he has a lot to do, and there is a lot to learn and there is a lot to make sure he improves as he goes forward and I am sure he will. I have a lot of belief in him.”
