Edson Alvarez could prove to be the lynchpin of Graham Potter’s revolution at West Ham United after returning to form against Fulham.
Starting at the base of a heavily-defensive midfield at the London Stadium on 14 January, Alvarez played the full 90 minutes as the Hammers saw out a 3-2 victory.
While Guido Rodriguez was fairly anonymous alongside him, Alvarez’s presence in the engine room allowed Tomas Soucek to get forward and score, giving the Irons a 2-0 lead going into half-time.
Edson Alvarez hardly puts a foot wrong for West Ham v Fulham
Alvarez is a player many Hammers fans would have been happy to see leave, based on his performances earlier this season, but Potter may just have rediscovered the player who was a revelation last term.
Against Fulham, Alvarez completed 85 per cent of his 47 attempted passes [SofaScore], with 10 of those played into the final third as the Irons forced Fulham into costly errors for two of their three goals.
Although none of his 63 touches came in Fulham’s box, Alvarez completed 100 per cent of his attempted dribbles and tackles [FotMob], with the latter being two of 10 defensive actions by the 27-year-old.
Alvarez has been sent off twice this term, including against Liverpool in the EFL Cup [Credit: Sky Sports Football]
Recovering possession on six occasions in total, Alvarez put in three clearances, a block and an interception apiece on top of those two tackles, avoiding the blatant yellow cards which have cost him this season.
A further six of his eight ground duels resulted in Alvarez coming away with the ball (75 per cent – FotMob), and despite still conceding three free-kicks, the Mexican won two of his own for the Hammers.
Potter’s London Stadium reign is just two games old, but in Alvarez, the 49-year-old already has a player capable of being a transformative midfield anchor if his best attributes are utilised in the right way.
