Football West Ham is undergoing an interesting reformation, even under conservative coach David Moyes, who narrowly escaped dismissal last season. The Hammers are on the move in the new season, and again the Czechs have their fingers in it: Tomáš Souček and Vladimír Coufal. The former has scored four goals in the last six competitive matches, the latter is collecting one goal assist after another. Last year, however, they were a write-off for demanding supporters.
For practically his entire career, Vladimír Coufal has been dealing with bad language claiming that he cannot do something.
According to critics, he once didn’t even belong in the Czech league, he was often booed by his own fans during his time in Liberec.
In the end, with his extraordinary hard work and tenacity, he made it all the way to the famous Premier League.
He became an instant fixture at West Ham, contributing to the Hammers’ sixth and seventh-placed finishes in two successive seasons.
Last season, however, criticism of his performances grew stronger, Coufal was also losing his place in the starting line-up due to injuries, and the fans believed that the Czech representative simply hit his own performance ceiling.
And that despite the fact that he eventually got up and contributed to Prague’s triumph in the European Conference League.
In the current season, the ex-Slavist warrior once again defeated all the doubters.
At the age of thirty-one, he has taken his game to a new level and is currently chasing the biggest stars in England in terms of goal assists.
He brilliantly set up a goal for his teammates in four consecutive battles and is once again a fan favorite. That Thilo Kehrer or perhaps Ben Johnson would deprive him of a place in the lineup now is almost unthinkable.
After all, only notable personalities have one more assist this season: James Maddison from Tottenham, Kieran Tripper from Newcastle and Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton.
“Coufal goes for Trent Alexander-Arnold’s record tally,” the West Ham News account gleefully noted.
The record for the number of assists by a defender in one season of the English league, established by the speedster from Liverpool in 2020, is thirteen notches.
At the weekend, the Czech defender with the number 5 on his back scored Mohamed Kudus’ equalizing goal in the duel against Newcastle. Overall, he has already scored sixteen goals among the English elite, and with one assist, he has moved ahead of the former Arsenal playmaker Tomáš Rosicky in the historical table.
Only Patrik Berger (29 assists) and Vladimír Šmicer (23 assists) have more Czechs in the Premier League.
“The way Vlad improved his final pass is simply breathtaking,” fan account Come On You Irons wrote over the weekend.
Three weeks ago against Manchester City, Coufal impressed with a break down the wing and a perfect cross on the fish of James Ward-Prowse’s header.
Attentive fans then noticed how the famous Sky Blues coach Pep Guardiola intercepted the Czech representative after the match and had a long and enthusiastic conversation with him.
That these were words of praise, Coufal then confirmed in an interview with Canal+ Sport.
A question that has been on our minds since last weekend. What did Pep Guardiola and Vladimír Coufal talk about? ????
Thanks for the exclusive interview @KHaring75 with the West Ham right-back we know the answer! ???? pic.twitter.com/QWczYIx5yM
— CANAL+ Sport CZ/SK (@CANALSportCZ) September 22, 2023
On the Liverpool pitch, he then similarly challenged Jarrod Bowen, to whom he addressed a return goal pass during the victory over Sheffield United. He ended the streak for the time being on Sunday against the Magpies.
A week ago, Coufal celebrated three years since his arrival in East London and his influence on the team is even more pronounced this year.
“Time flies, I’m three years older. But I’m happy with what we’ve been able to do in those three years, we’ve played in European cups three years in a row, which is amazing,” said the full-back during an interview for club television, which he completed after alongside compatriot Tomáš Souček. The editor then asked him about Coufal’s contribution.
“From the moment he joined us, he has been doing a great job for West Ham. He has increased the quality of our team. I arrived seven months earlier, Vláďa has already become part of the new West Ham. Since then we have been successful, in the Premier League and in Europe . I think that in the Czech Republic they should be really proud of him,” declared Souček.
Perhaps he was alluding to the fact that it is not so often the case. Both West Ham mainstays have a number of critics among the fans of the Czech national team.
However, Souček is also experiencing a great period at the club level. He scored in two consecutive matches in the Premier League, before that he also made his mark in the FA Cup and the Europa League.
After the one hundred million sale of captain Declan Rice to Arsenal in the summer, he has more freedom on the field, and he can also benefit from the arrival of the phenomenal executor of standard situations Ward-Prowse. In the game against Newcastle, Souček basically played the under-score position.
“Tomáš got into the penalty area again, which is what we want from him. I’m happy for him that he started scoring goals again. We’re placing him higher than before, precisely so that he gets to the end,” confirmed Moyes’ clear intention.
Thanks to this, the 28-year-old footballer can try to follow up on his most successful season in the Premier League with goals, he stopped at ten goals in the 2020/2021 season. The following year he scored five, and last year he only hit twice.
At the same time, in the fan community of Kladivář, there is speculation as to how Moyes will gradually create a place in the starting line-up for the Ghanaian magician Kudus.
“It is a big question who the manager will replace. Tomáš Souček would be a likely candidate, but he started scoring goals and is in exceptional form this season,” noted the Hammers News server.
“I feel great now, I feel ready and motivated more than ever. I hope my performances will continue like this, or even better,” said the national team captain.
Whether Coufal and Souček will bring their form to the national team meeting will be seen in a few days. On Thursday, the Czech Republic will play a key European qualification match against Albania, and on Sunday they will welcome the Faroe Islands at home.
