West Ham player Andriy Yarmolenko’s mentality has been questioned by BT Sport pundits Joe and Carlton Cole after a costly moment against Dinamo Zagreb.
Yarmolenko has been out of favour under David Moyes so far this season, only playing a total of 52 minutes of Premier League football to date.
The Europa League is where he’s received opportunities to shine and he impressed in a 2-0 win at Rapid Vienna late last month, scoring one goal and assisting the other.
He wasn’t able to have a similarly positive influence against Croatian champions Dinamo at the London Stadium on Thursday, though, as a much-weakened Hammers side fell to a 1-0 defeat.
The only goal of the game came in the third minute and it was a spectacular strike from Mislav Orsic.
However, more could have been done to prevent him from getting his shot off.
Yarmolenko was the closest West Ham player to Orsic when he picked up the ball, but instead of closing him down, he stood off, affording him time and space to set himself before unleashing the wicked swerving strike.
Pundits criticise West Ham’s Andriy Yarmolenko
Both Joe and Carlton Cole felt the Ukraine international could have done a lot more.
“Early on in the game, it’s a mentality thing,” said Joe at half-time [BT Sport 2 09/12 20:52] “Yarmolenko has got to get there but he doesn’t, he (Orsic) gets too much time and in the end, Fornals has to creep out of his position and try to make the effort.”
After the game, the pundits returned to what ended up being the winning goal.
“Yarmolenko has got to do better, he’s got to get tighter and he’s got to read the danger – but it is a wondergoal,” said Joe.
“There’s too much space to receive – in the first half as well,” Carlton added. “You start how you mean to go on and there was just no intensity there.”
Yarmolenko certainly could have put in more effort, particularly given it was just the third minute, and as it wasn’t his night going forward, either, he wasn’t able to help a youthful West Ham side to turn things around.
He was subbed in the closing stages and it’s unlikely that he’ll play much of a role in Sunday’s trip to Burnley in the Premier League.
In other news, a 17-year-old wonderkid has been snapped alongside Mo Salah in Liverpool training.