- Manuel Lanzini is relishing the extra responsibility of being West Ham United's playmaker
- No10 has assumed a more influential role since the departure of Dimitri Payet
- Argentine tells Official Programme the Hammers are in good form ahead of visit of Chelsea
Manuel Lanzini welcomes the extra responsibility on him to be West Ham United’s playmaker since the departure of Dimitri Payet.
While some players may have withered under the added pressue, Lanzini has relished the opportunity to reprise a role he filled as a youngster with River Plate.
There, his outstanding technical ability, elusive dribbling, perceptive passing, accurate shooting and winning mentality brought him 13 goals and 14 assists in 89 first-team appearances – the majority of which he made before his 20th birthday – and an Argentine Primera Division Final Tournament title in May 2014.
For the 24-year-old, being relied upon is something to be proud of, rather than something to be intimidated by, and he is hoping to rise to the challenge again when Premier League leaders Chelsea visit London Stadium on Monday evening.
“I like this pressure,” he told Monday’s Official Programme for the visit of the Blues. “I like to take the ball and play for the team and I need this for my personality.
“I need the pressure and I need to feel that the team is relying on me. This is important for me.”
With Lanzini at the hub of the majority of good things about West Ham United’s attacking play over the last three months, the team has lost just three of their last 12 Premier League matches, rising from the edge of the relegation zone into the top half of the table.
The South American himself netted a superb third in the 3-0 home win over Crystal Palace, before scoring a long-range special in the 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion at London Stadium.
Add two assists in the 3-1 victory at Middlesbrough in between and it is easy to see why the No10 has become such an integral part of Bilic’s starting XI.
“The team is good and we’re playing good football at the moment and this is important,” he confirmed.”
I need the pressure and I need to feel that the team is relying on me. This is important for me
Manuel Lanzini
Elsewhere in Monday’s issue, Ian ‘Moose’ Abrahams chats to West Ham-supporting Emirates FA Cup giant-killers Danny and Nicky Cowley of Lincoln City and Jamie Collins of Sutton United, while Evening Standard columnist Ken Dyer talks to Lincoln’s goalkeeper coach and former Hammers stopper Jimmy Walker.
Steve Blowers hears from ex-West Ham and Chelsea midfielder Alan Dickens in They Wore the Claret & Blue, while there is an educational interview with East Ham-born University Challenge semi-finalist Bobby Seagull in Final Whistle.
Joint-Chairman David Gold, manager Slaven Bilic and captain Mark Noble all pen exclusive columns, while there is plenty of information about Antonio Conte’s visitors.
With the very latest from the Club’s Premier League 2, Academy and Ladies teams, including Student of the Game Alfie Lewis, plus updates from around London Stadium and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Monday’s Official Programme is a must-read for any fan.