GOAL ONE
The first goal and a West Ham player has spotted a pathway big enough to hit an inswinging ball in with his left foot. With nobody on the pitch, the ball is on target for goal. It’s a great ball to play.
Sanchez is not only out of position, he’s also in a state of suspended animation. The other problem is that by the time the ball’s gone over him, we then encounter Dier, who for not the first time, fails to read the ball and in slow motion watches it curling toward him when he really ought to have been all over the West Ham player behind him.
Antonio connects with the ball, Lloris shins it, and then at the second time of asking, the ball is in the net. Dier has stopped dead in his tracks and then proceeds to try to put it on Tanganga, who, I might remind you, is where Sanchez ought to be.
All pictures c/o Sky Sports
GOAL 2
As the West Ham move begins, it’s Dier and Reguilon that are the last men.
As Dier is getting turned inside out, Sanchez makes a half-hearted challenge, and instead of putting his foot down and getting a shoe-in, we get a bit of a shoulder nudge. Pathetic stuff.
Lingard more than gets past Dier, Dier is a bamboozled irrelevance at this stage and the ball is in the net.
CONCLUSION
In both instances, Dier and Sanchez are mentally and physically very slow to respond to what are not impossible circumstances. What exactly is Ledley King adding to the coaching?