Where has this Mavropanos been since we signed him? It’s like we have got a completely new player.
From the way he played at Everton away last year where he could barely control or win a ball, to being a player that is flying into every tackle and is constantly with his man.
This is something I didn’t think would happen but I’m glad to see it, these are the types of things we need to go our way to stay in the Premier League.
The way I saw how he played for the Greek national team recently, I knew there was this quality in there, just not something I thought we’d be lucky enough to see in a West Ham shirt. A few games can really change how fans see a player and Mavro proves that.
The Captain’s Armband and Defensive Stability
I felt glad when I saw against Burton in the FA Cup that he was given the captain’s armband.
It is sometimes little things like this that can change a player’s confidence which I believe it has. He has now been a starter with three clean sheets in four games.
These clean sheets haven’t been all down to him but the way he has played in all the games has been solid. It is not just his defensive displays that he needs credit for, he is becoming a nuisance when attacking set pieces.
What has also been great is this season he has worked well in both Todibo and now Disasi which brings great calmness when seeing who our back two or even three is. This is not something I have been able to say this season.
Silencing the Critics with Hard Work and Respect
Another area he deserves great credit in is the way he has bounced back from a lot of criticism, yes not everything defensively was his fault over the last season and a half but he did make many mistakes.
Instead of him sulking or handing in a transfer request he worked hard and constantly spoke highly of the fans’ support, it could have looked a lot differently.
These are the types of qualities that we respect, we rarely have the best players but we always want the hard workers and look at Mavro now. The credit is finally coming from the fans and the management gave him the captain’s armband in the FA Cup that also speaks volumes.
A Crucial Figure in Our Premier League Survival
If we stay up I think Mavropanos will deserve great credit in the end, he is not the flashiest of players or a player who has had the best relationship with the fans due to some of his performances.
But credit is due and we should thank him significantly for these last few games, especially the away game to Spurs and hopefully I will be thanking him for our survival at the end.
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