Snodgrass proving to be West Ham's saviour as Christmas looms

As West Ham splurged on the likes of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko over the summer, Robert Snodgrass could do little but watch as Manuel Pellegrini added two expensive wingers to his squad. The Scot was stuck in limbo after a fine season-long loan spell with Aston Villa. David Moyes wanted the attacker back at West Ham following his appointment as Slaven Bilic’s successor in east London, yet was unable to break the deal in place between both teams. 

Villa’s failed promotion push meant the Villans were unable to keep him at Villa Park and it could well have seen Snodgrass marginalised at the London Stadium and for a period it seemed as though he’d be left on the wayside and then sold off in January. He returned to West Ham overweight due to his 280-mile commute Birmingham and dining at service stations and it significantly impacted his performances. To Pellegrini’s credit, though, he pushed Snodgrass to get back into shape and both player and club are all the better for it. 

A low point under Pellegrini’s reign came in the eventual 1-0 loss to Wolves back in September. Snodgrass was withdrawn at the break having landed a WhoScored rating of just 6.01 as he did little of note in the opening 45 minutes. What was worse still was that Yarmolenko impressed as he came into the side. The following game - a 3-1 win at Everton, in which Yarmolenko bagged a brace - signified a change in personnel as the Ukrainian leapfrogged his Scottish teammate in the pecking order. 

A raft of injuries, though, in fact benefitted Snodgrass. While supporters would like to have seen summer signings Jack Wilshere, Carlos Sanchez and Yarmolenko play a bigger role for the team this term, the 31-year-old capitalised on their absences to nail down a regular starting spot. Be it through luck and a clear improvement in performances, Snodgrass has re-established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet. 

Since his return to the starting XI following his withdrawal against Wolves, that coming in a 1-0 loss to Tottenham on October 20th, Snodgrass’ WhoScored rating has increased immensely, rising from 6.23 and 7.66. Of late, he has taken his game to the next level, with the West Ham star now the third highest in-form player in Europe’s top five leagues behind Lionel Messi and Teji Savanier and he recently pipped Eden Hazard to the summit of the Premier League form rankings. 

December has already been a memorable month for Snodgrass, with a WhoScored rating of 8.43 this month better than any other Premier League player. He’s now had a direct hand in five Premier League goals this season, scoring two and assisting three, all of which have come in December, while his three WhoScored man of the match awards have coming in his last three league outings in wins over Cardiff, Crystal Palace and Fulham. 

It’s no coincidence that his upturn in form has seen West Ham win four successive league matches for the first time since February 2014 and that the Hammers are a better side with the former Hull man in the starting XI, with their win ratio and goals scored per game increasing from 33.3% and 1.0, respectively, to 45.5% and 1.73 when he features from the get go. In what is now a key run of games - West Ham face Watford, Southampton, Burnley and Brighton over the coming days - Pellegrini and the West Ham faithful will be hoping Snodgrass can maintain his electrifying form as the Hammers look to end the year in the top six. 

In a summer that rightly caught the imagination of supporters following a series of big money arrivals, the Scottish attacking deserves immense credit for not letting the new signings deter him from working his way back into the forefront of Pellegrini’s thoughts as he knuckled down to earn his spot and it’s paying off. Now, though, he needs to ensure that this isn’t a mere blip, but for the time being, Snodgrass is proving to be West Ham’s saviour this Christmas.