Fulham vs West Ham: Pressure on misfiring Rodrigo Muniz and Michail Antonio to spark campaigns into life
When Andreas Pereira and Willian presented Rodrigo Muniz with the Premier League player of the month award for March, the striker's tears of joy spoke of his own surprise at how drastically his fortunes had changed.
That month brought four goals in as many games for Muniz, who became only the third Fulham player ever to win the award, after Louis Saha and Mark Schwarzer.
It took him to nine goals — eventually 10 — in a season which began with Raul Jimenez and Carlos Vinicius both above him in the pecking order and ended with Marco Silva parking plans to sign a new striker.
Muniz has now failed to score since April, though, and Jimenez put the pressure on last month when he scored on a rare start in the 2-0 EFL Cup win over Birmingham.
Back at Craven Cottage and up against a West Ham back-line newly formed after the summer's spending spree, Muniz will be desperate to end his six-game goal drought on Saturday.
Fulham are fortunate that Adama Traore, Alex Iwobi and new boy Emile Smith Rowe have filled the void thus far.
Muniz was visited at Fulham's training ground by Brazil manager Dorival Junior in February, and while the maiden call-up never came, it will not unless the 23-year-old rediscovers the form of his purple patch last term.
In admittedly different circumstances, West Ham striker Michail Antonio will find himself under similar pressure to find the net.
With any luck, Hammers manager Julen Lopetegui would have been starting summer recruit Niclas Fullkrug rather than Antonio, but the German flew back to London midway though the international break with a calf strain after opening the scoring in a 5-0 Nations League win over Hungary.
The man who struck 15 goals for Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund last season was set for his full league debut, but will now set his sights on facing Chelsea next Saturday.
Attempts to upgrade Antonio have seen £95m wasted on Haller, Scamacca and Ings
Opportunity knocks, then, and Lopetegui will either deploy Jarrod Bowen centrally or stick with the misfiring Antonio. It must be said of Antonio that he is, by some distance, West Ham's leading scorer in Premier League history and is adored by supporters.
It must be said of Antonio that he is, by some distance, West Ham’s leading scorer in Premier League history and thought of fondly by supporters.
Attempts to upgrade him have seen £95million wasted on Sebastien Haller, Gianluca Scamacca and Danny Ings. Fullkrug has said he backs himself to nail down a starting berth, but he must wait a little while longer.
Antonio scored Jamaica’s winner against Honduras yesterday, and Lopetegui must decide whether to keep faith with the 34-year-old.
His measly six league goals last season were offset by the remarkable attacking exploits of Mohammed Kudus and Bowen, yet West Ham’s dynamic duo have just one league goal so far this term and need more from Antonio than just hold-up play and hard graft.
Their goal-shy strikers aside, both managers have selection decisions to make. Silva will contemplate a first league start for Joachim Andersen since his return to Fulham from Palace last month. Paris Saint-Germain loanee Carlos Soler could make his West Ham debut.
