West Ham man ‘arguably the best in PL’ as Carragher believes success rests on his shoulders

James Ward-Prowse is “arguably the best in the Premier League” at delivering set pieces according to Jamie Carragher, who believes the Hammers have “a hell of a chance” at success with him.

Ward-Prowse has cultivated a reputation as one of the best free-kick takers in Premier League history. That he’s just one free-kick goal behind David Beckham’s tally of 18 highlights his proficiency in the skill.

He’s also a fantastic provider from set pieces as well as a goalscorer, and West Ham have reaped the rewards of that so far this season.

In all this term, the midfielder has scored two Premier League goals and provided three assists, helping his side to ninth in the table.

Carragher believes Ward-Prowse is vital to the Hammers’ chances of success, given they have a team which matches up perfectly with his skillset.

“He stands out in that area, every manager, everybody in football knows how important set pieces are, and especially with David Moyes’ team, it’s a big, powerful team,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.

“That’s how they’ve had success over the last few years, when they’ve been really good on set pieces they’ve had great seasons.

“You bring in someone who is arguably the best in the Premier League at delivering from set pieces, it’s going to give you a hell of a chance.”

Carragher also cited West Ham’s struggles last season, when they finished 14th, but he feels Ward-Prowse can directly contribute to them getting right back up there with his skillset.

“When we looked at the stats last season, they weren’t so good, and that was maybe the difference between a team fighting relegation and challenging for Europe,” he added.

Indeed, Ward-Prowse has been one of the Hammers’ most influential assets this season, and it seems vital that he continues in this vein of form if they are to continue putting in good performances and remain in a good position in the table.

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