Despite initially being considered somewhat of a throw-away player for the Hammers last season, former Lazio, Inter Milan and Birmingham City star – Mauro Zarate – has nonetheless proved greatly effective so far this term under Slaven Bilic at Upton Park.
The 28-year-old Argentinean, who has incidentally endeared himself to the Boleyn Ground faithful despite his stark lack of first team action, marked a successful return to the starting XI with a goal last Saturday, helping his side go on to record a memorable 2-1 victory over Jose Mourinho’s struggling Chelsea.
The South American has in-fact impressed for the Hammers more often than not, when given a rare starting role in his manager’s plans. Because of his ability to take on daring shots from the edge of the box and often profit as a result of his wild ambition – this is just the type of player West Ham fans have been calling for throughout the club’s recent history.
So then, in light of everything that’s taken place for the technically gifted front-man during his time at Upton Park, can Mauro Zarate continue his fine form under Slaven Bilic across the rest of the 2015/16 campaign?
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Well, if Sam Allardyce were to have kept his job in the east end this summer, perhaps no West Ham supporter out there would currently be enjoying the fruits of Zarate’s labour at this moment in time.
The now ex-Hammers boss routinely preferred to rely upon the likes of Kevin Nolan and Matt Jarvis in the attacking areas of the pitch, rather than opting to take a gamble on the 28-year-old forward. The club even sent the Argentinean out on loan to QPR as a result of Big Sam’s cold shoulder mid-way through the 2014/15 campaign – which just goes to show how out of touch the current Sunderland boss really was when it came to dealing effectively with his squad at Upton Park.
Although he can certainly prove a tad wasteful at times, Mauro Zarate embodies everything truly exciting about the modern game, and seamlessly promotes the role of the ‘flair player’ via his entertaining exploits out on the pitch. It really is no surprise how impressive he has proved for the Hammers so far this term, when you consider the striker’s notable reputation prior to joining West Ham last summer…
This is a player who once caught the attention of many significant teams throughout Europe, of course. After enjoying a rich vein of form for Lazio just a handful of short seasons ago, the tricky light-weight finisher eventually joined up on loan with Serie A giants, Inter Milan, in a move that evidently failed to take off for the current Hammers favourite. A subsequent switch back to Argentina followed for the front-man, despite once going down as one of the standout players of his generation as a youngster.
It therefore remains less of a shock to see the South American begin to thrive once again under Slaven Bilic, with a decent understanding of his footballing background in mind. Mauro Zarate has simply always been known as an expert finisher in front of goal.
His ability to link-up effectively with his teammates inside the final third often works wonders for his side, the front-man’s prowess in wide positions has also come to the forefront of late – and even when the Hammers no. 10 has been forced to operate from the bench this season – Zarate usually proves truly creative, much like he did against Sunderland just a few games ago.
Yes – he may admittedly hang on to the ball for a bit too long on occasion. The former Velez Sarsfield man has also been known to take on unrealistic shots when the option to pass would have been more suitable, and he certainly could tighten up on his overall fitness levels somewhat to continue impressing throughout the entirety of the season. Yet, as all those factors are definitely fixable, there is no reason to suggest that Zarate won’t continue scoring for West Ham this term when handed an all-important opportunity.
Slaven Bilic must therefore continue to utilize his Argentinean front-man is such a way, especially as Zarate seems to work even better with compatriot – Manuel Lanzini – alongside him, as well as the ever formidable – Dimitri Payet – also in the mix. In achieving such an influential performance last time out, the current Hammers boss may well be persuaded to keep Mauro Zarate among his starting XI as West Ham face Watford away next weekend.
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