5 Things Learned From West Ham's Win Over Birkirkara FC

Brought in by the West Ham chairmen to bolster the attacking options, despite his contribution of 2 goals and an assist in his first 6 games for the club and his ability to dribble and link the play from midfield to the strikers, his flair and unpredictability obviously meant that he was never going to be Allardyce's cup of tea. Zarate was shipped off to QPR after some public arguments with Allardyce but then failed to score for QPR after being brought in by Harry Redknapp and was then frozen out of the team after being unhappy at being left out of the team in QPR's game against Liverpool.

David Sullivan has stated on Twitter that the slate has been wiped clean for new and old players alike under Bilic, and Zarate is definitely one of the players who could benefit most from this approach. He was lively against Lusitanos and carried his form into the game against Birkirkara. He was the main creative force in the team and looked as though he was the only player willing to take an opponent on, however this sometimes led him down dead ends and tried doing too much when there was a better option available to him.

 He eventually provided the assist from the corner for James Tomkins' and was also named Man of the Match. With Bilic lamenting the lack of creativity in the squad, the reemergence of Mauro Zarate would definitely be a boost to West Ham but he still has to get past Sakho, Valencia, Carroll & Payet. With West Ham's extended calendar due to the Europa League though, Zarate may find himself featuring more often than not.