Antonio’s right role?

Michail Antonio was West Ham’s wing hero as they beat Bournemouth 1-0 on Sunday, but despite speculation about his position, it might not mark the end of his days at full-back.

For the West Ham supporters who had been calling for Antonio’s run at right-back to come to an end, the finale to the first Premier League game at the London Stadium was a lesson for the future as well as history in the making.

Antonio, freed from his full-back duties, duly popped up at the far post to head home Gokhan Tore’s left-wing cross and win the game for West Ham. The first goal at their new home and the last word on the notion that the 26-year-old is any kind of full-back.

So it was interesting that Slaven Bilic appeared in no mood to retreat. “Antonio is a guy who can play in a few positions,” the West Ham boss said afterwards. “He can be a great right-back like Antonio Valencia of Manchester United.”

Nobody should have been too surprised. Bilic has clearly been irked by the theory that playing Antonio at right-back is folly. It would be more accurate to say that he regards it as a happy accident – one of the triumphs of his first season in Premier League management.

“It wasn’t planned for him to play there, but by chance against Liverpool,” said Bilic after the win over NK Domzale earlier this month. “I think Joey O’Brien got injured and Sam Byram was cup-tied. Then he played there and he surprised us so we started to talk to him.”

It was approaching 11pm in the bowels of the stadium that evening, with Bilic having been delayed by greeting his Slovenian guests, but he seemed prepared to talk long into the night about Antonio. “Look,” he said. “Tell …

continue reading in source www.skysports.com