Ex-manager: This may be real reason for Antonio problems at West Ham
Alex McLeish has suggested Michail Antonio may be suffering a lack of confidence at West Ham after a lean spell in front of goal.
The former Scotland manager, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed opposition defenders were now paying the 31-year-old special attention to limit his impact for the Irons.
Antonio has not scored in the Premier League since the 1-0 win over Tottenham in October.
He struggled in Wednesday’s defeat to Arsenal, losing possession seven times and completing just 40 per cent of his attempted passes (WhoScored).
McLeish suggested rivals had started taking extra measures to deal with Antonio’s threat.
McLeish told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “We don’t know what’s going on in a guy’s head. Any person’s head, for that matter.
“Possibly he’s going through a bit of a confidence issue. He’s a very instinctive player, he’s quick, he’s got very good speed within a fraction of a second.
“When it’s not been happening for him, he’s possibly doubting himself a wee bit. He is only human.
“But I’m pretty sure that he’s the type of guy who can bounce back give defenders the hard time they expect from him.
“One of the problems for him is he’s grown to a level where everybody has put the special branch on him. To man-mark him in certain situations.
“Even off-the-ball, managers saying: ‘You’ve got to be near this guy when West Ham are on the ball.’
“He’s been stifled by good defenders. So don’t forget we’ve got world-class defenders playing against him.”
Antonio has scored six goals and contributed four assists in 16 Premier League appearances this season.
He has played every minute in all but two of the Hammers’ top-flight games.
In other news, pundit tells West Ham to sign “new Lingard” for bargain price.