Antonio Offers Fresh Approach to Flat England Side

When Sam Allardyce named his first England squad on Sunday, there wasn’t the raft of new faces that some may have anticipated. Much of the side that failed to have the desired effect at Euro 2016 has remained intact, though there was the notable inclusion of Michail Antonio. West Ham fans will testify that the winger has been one of the more consistent Premier League performers in recent months, despite often playing out of position at right-back. 

After securing his move to east London from Nottingham Forest, the 26-year-old struggled for regular game time and it wasn’t until injuries began to mount for Slaven Bilic that Antonio finally got a look in. Even then, seven of his 23 league starts came in defence, despite Sam Byram’s arrival from Leeds at the turn of the year. Regardless, he routinely impressed, with his WhoScored rating (7.35) bettered only by Dimitri Payet (7.74) of all West Ham players in the Premier League last season. 

Three games into the new campaign and only Arthur Masuaku (7.63) and James Collins (7.42) have gained higher ratings than Antonio (7.24) of all Hammers players. Injuries may have been the key reason for his redeployment in a more advanced role, but he’s clearly taken the chance to consolidate a starting spot on the wing rather than in defence, despite the significant investment on the flanks by West Ham this summer. 

The player endured a nightmare first outing of the season - Antonio was hauled off after 52 minutes in the 2-1 opening weekend defeat at Chelsea with a WhoScored rating of 5.50. Yet, he showed impressive mental fortitude to immediately bounce back and put in a man of the match showing against Bournemouth before a commendable performance in the loss at Manchester City. With goals in the two latter games, Antonio has now scored more headed goals (8) than any other Premier League player since the start of last season, developing a real knack at arriving unnoticed at the back post. 

“To pick someone like me from my background, it is a risk but the gaffer has shown belief in me and now I have got to show it to the world,” Antonio said of his England call up. Given his performances in England’s top tier, though, the player’s selection is hardly a risk and provides the necessary shot in the arm for his compatriots. Importantly, however, Antonio offers another dimension to the attack for Allardyce to maximise. 

As mentioned, when the ball is on the opposite flank, Antonio has developed the ability to ghost into the opposition box and provide a further attacking outlet. Indeed, his goal against Bournemouth was the epitome of Antonio, with the winger cropping up at the back post to head Gokhan Tore’s chipped cross past Artur Boruc to secure all three points. Allardyce will be hoping he can continue this goalscoring threat for the national team, with Antonio arguably in better form than most of the other wide options available to the England boss, Raheem Sterling aside. 

Yet it’s not just Antonio’s form off the ball that has won him admirers this season, with an average of 2.7 successful dribbles per game one of the better returns in the Premier League. The player earned rave reviews for his dribbling ability in the Championship and has now carried on this side of his game in England’s top tier, contributing to his fine West Ham form. The fearlessness to his game means he is indeed a welcome addition to the national team. 

While a World Cup qualifying campaign meeting with Slovakia would hardly represent a baptism of fire for the player, that England struggled to break them down at Euro 2016 means a player of Antonio’s skillset could be vital. The winger’s unpredictability and unknown quantity on the international stage means opponents may struggle to contain him as and when he does gain a head of steam. Nevertheless, two key passes from the opening three games of the season makes for unconvincing reading, while a very modest pass success rate of 74.3% will surely need to improve if Antonio is to establish himself on the international stage.  

However, his greatest quality has proven to be an ability to be in the right place at the right time to hit the back of the net. With the West Ham frontmen faltering, Antonio has taken it upon himself to grasp the goalscoring mantle, with his two goals bettered only by a handful of Premier League players this season. Importantly, though, is that both strikes have been deemed clear-cut goalscoring opportunities, highlighting that he’s not only capable of putting these chances away, but also able to get into the right positions to score, a sometimes unheralded trait for any player. 

While Antonio’s call up may have been a surprise to some, it’s been some time coming as far as West Ham fans are concerned. If he can force his way into the set up and become a long-term fixture under Allardyce for England, it will certainly cap off a whirlwind year for the winger.

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