**West Ham forward Pablo wasn’t the most popular figure after the Irons’ FA Cup defeat to Leeds on Sunday.**
The 22-year-old missed a vital spot-kick as Nuno Espírito Santo’s side lost 4-2 on penalties. The result denied the Hammers their first FA Cup semi-final in 20 years, as Jarrod Bowen also missed from the spot.
Pablo hasn’t scored for West Ham since his £23 million move from Portuguese side Gil Vicente. The striker had scored 10 goals in 13 league appearances prior to the move, and it looked like he had finally opened his account for the Hammers when his rebound strike found the net.
However, it turned out he was a mile offside when Bowen rattled the post before the ball fell to him. His penalty miss didn’t help matters either – it felt as though no West Ham fan was confident he would score.
It was a strange feeling. The Irons have generally proven a stronger side when Pablo has been included, and Sunday was another example. Nuno’s side looked much brighter following his introduction, along with that of Tomáš Souček.
Yet some fans online continue to throw harsh criticism at the player, with some remarking that he looks like “he won a raffle to play for West Ham”.
The Brazilian is certainly unorthodox, and it is disappointing that he hasn’t scored for the Irons yet, but some of the criticism of him has been unjust.
Firstly, he was carrying a knock from his time in Portugal that he has only recently recovered from. During his time in East London, he has missed a handful of games – a period during which many Hammers fans were impatiently awaiting his return to the side.
Secondly, when he has played, it has been in the No. 10 role rather than up front. He has rarely played as a striker for Nuno’s team and has linked up play quite well – certainly better than Lucas Paquetá did earlier in the campaign.
He runs his socks off, pressing and harassing defenders, holding off the opposition to lay the ball off to a more technically capable player. He fits a similar profile to another Pablo that few seemed to rate at the start of his Irons career.
Fornals was always praised for his work rate but criticised for his finishing and overall “effectiveness” on the ball. Yet he was a vital cog in David Moyes’ UEFA Conference League-winning side.
I understand supporters’ impatience with the new Pablo, but I’d still like to see him start against Wolves on Friday. He may not be the most technical attacker, but neither was Michail Antonio – and once he was given a chance, he didn’t turn out too bad.