da doce： In light of their side’s shock opening day victory against Arsenal last weekend, every West Ham fan seemingly woke up this morning with a huge smile on their face – for such an outcome simply doesn’t crop up a great deal these days for the Upton Park faithful. Slaven Bilic nonetheless made a fantastically unforeseen start to his managerial career in the Premier League, to say the very least.
da dobrowin： From the reliable likes of Winston Reid and James Tomkins putting in admirable shifts for the Hammers at the back, to the ever-persistent Diafra Sakho successfully manning the front-line against the Gunners, every man in claret & blue last Sunday ultimately done their team proud – especially the newly acquired Dimitri Payet, who looks to be a real coup for the club.
However, there was one man in particular that seemingly stole the whole show for West Ham – and whilst at a mere 16-years-old he still remains just a kid in the cold light of day – Reece Oxford certainly had an amazing debut to look back on at the Emirates.
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So then, in light of all the recent excitement and sensation currently surrounding the young defensive-midfielder at this moment in time, just how good a season can West Ham’s Reece Oxford really have throughout the 2015/16 campaign?
Well, if the early indications from his performance against Arsene Wenger’s star-studded outfit are to prove something to go, the Upton Park faithful can certainly feel justified in their recent excitement. It has been widely documented that the up-and-coming youngster was literally only 12 days old when new boss Slaven Bilic played his last game in the Premier League, which simply outlines just how bright a future Oxford has in store among the Premier League’s best.
The young Englishman, who currently wears the no. 35 shirt for the Hammers, initially started life in the east end as a resolute centre-back, who rarely left the safety of his back-line. However, Oxford nonetheless displayed a keen ability to travel comfortably with the ball whilst making his journey through the ranks at Upton Park, making him an ideal candidate to be slotted into the defensive-midfield position when his chance finally arrived.
And against Arsenal Reece Oxford certainly grabbed his chance to make a name for himself in the Premier League readily with two hands. Whilst his performance may not have had a direct influence on either goal scored at the Emirates, the youngster still showed himself to be distinctly composed in the middle of the park, displayed a certain prowess at moving the ball quickly from his feet, and was definitely up for the challenge of dealing with the likes of Mesut Ozil and co. in the most intense of circumstances.
The 16-year-old must therefore be considered a bright prospect at West Ham this season, simply for the fact that he managed to outperform many of his top class opponents last Sunday, despite his very young age. Yes, several young English players often get met with too much hype in their early careers and it only serves to damage them later on down the line – but in this instance – the plaudits are genuine.
Slaven Bilic also deserves a great deal of credit in this situation. In deciding to hand Oxford a starting place at the Emirates, the new Hammers boss certainly put his neck on the line for the youngster. The Croatian was already seemingly under pressure going into the match for his club’s recent decision to back out rather unceremoniously from the Europa League last week – yet even that failed to deter the 46-year-old from his ambitious team selection plans against Arsenal.
The decision to start Reece Oxford at the Emirates likely wouldn’t have been made under the club’s previous boss – Sam Allardyce – and it is through gambles such as this one that Slaven Bilic has already become a very popular man among the Upton Park faithful.
So then, whilst the 16-year-old clearly has a very long way to go in the English top-flight before his name can viably be met with any true hype or promise, Reece Oxford nonetheless looks like he could be a major player for the Hammers this season – even if such a theory is simply being made on the basis of one game alone!
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