The whole month has passed since West Ham rejoiced in the league’s victory. Hammers is worried, they have only scored a point in the Premier League duels for the draw with Burnley. The fatal loss of chances to advance to the European Cups is not coming yet, also due to the incompetence of competitors. However, the situation is considerably complicated.
Defeat in the Brentford derby, draw at home with Burnley and two other lost derbies, at Chelsea Stadium and at home with Arsenal. In four matches, only two goals scored, both with a Czech track.
Tomáš Souček saved a draw against the Clarets with a goal, Vladimír Coufal again passed the goal to Jarrod Bowen, who in the duel with Gunners compared to 1: 1.
After a long time, the 29-year-old defender introduced himself to the fans directly at London Stadium. The last time he entered the home game was before the forced break caused by the groin operation, it was on February 8 during the victory over Watford.
Manager David Moyes has used it exclusively for outdoor duels in recent weeks, but this has now changed due to the health condition of the young Englishman Ben Johnson.
Responses to Coufal’s performance against Arsenal are full of controversy. The London evening party Evening Standard gave the Czech back a high mark of 7, which, in addition to him, was received from the team only by goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and the biggest stars Declan Rice with Jarrod Bowen.
“As always, he was a real threat when he went forward. He caused problems for left back Nun Tavares and scored a good pass for Bowen,” the paper wrote.
But the Claret and Hugh club blog did not share such enthusiasm.
“He’s not the same player we saw last season. He brought a little more forward than Johnson and scored, but he often looked lost on the ball,” was the rating.
Coufal was not flattered by the analytical website SofaScore, in which the Czech Republic was the worst Hammers player with a value of 6.1.
Ambivalent voices have also dominated fan debates, where it is constantly being debated whether Johnson or Coufal is better. The aura of the indispensable man that the Czech national team won last season is now gone due to a recent injury.
Similarly, Souček has been questioned in recent months, although fans reminded themselves during Sunday’s derby why the Czech midfielder is so important to the current West Ham.
The 27-year-old native of Havlíčkův Brod has finally been given time off. The Iron Man wants to play every match, but this time Moyes is sorry in the middle of his busy schedule. Something similar happened in the Premier League after more than two years.
Souček last “sat” on March 7, 2020, coincidentally also against Arsenal. Since then – if he was available and in good health – he always had a certain place in the base.
On Sunday, the player with the number 28 on his back got into the game in the 77th minute at 1: 2 and did not avert defeat. Arsenal hit West Ham twice in the air after corner kicks, hitchhikers Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes hit.
Vladimír Coufal in a duel with Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal. | Photo: Reuters
West Ham fans immediately saw a connection between Souček’s absence and a failure in the airspace. This was also supported by a remarkable statistical figure.
Souček won three header fights in the course of thirteen minutes, which was enough to ensure that none of his teammates were more successful in this game activity.
Moyes also admitted that Souček was missing. “We eliminated the height from the team and lost by the standards. We became more vulnerable,” he suggested that Souček rested for the last time for a long time.
“If Souček had been on the lawn, Holding wouldn’t have scored a goal. .
West Ham will find himself in a difficult situation in both the Premier League and the European League, in the semifinals of which he will have to turn 1: 2 in Frankfurt on Thursday.
At home, it remains seventh in the table. It is a place provided by the Conference League, but the eight Wolves are only three points back and have a good match.
“Sure, it’s not the European League, but it’s European football and we would definitely be satisfied with that,” Coufal said after Sunday’s duel. “We have to keep working and finish the season as high as possible.”
The Hammers are already losing six points to Manchester United, but they have one less match.
However, West Ham’s European ambitions may still take the title into other dimensions in this year’s European League.
“That would be the best way to secure Europe. We would play the Champions League and it would be a big dream for everyone in West Ham,” said Coufal, author of the fourth goal of the season. He collected seven of them last year, but is still waiting for the premier goal in the English top competition.
