It appears like it is a bit late to say the wheels have come off for West Ham United.
The Hammers had been knocked out of the League Cup within the second spherical and have misplaced 4 of their 5 Premier League video games, by a mixed rating of 5-13.
It felt prefer it was extra a matter of when, fairly than if, Graham Potter was changed within the London Stadium dugout.
Lo and behold, regardless of being put in entrance of the press on Friday afternoon forward of their conflict with Everton on Monday, he was given the boot on Saturday morning.
Nuno Santo was rapidly introduced as his alternative however with solely a few days of coaching earlier than the conflict with the Toffees, it is going to be attention-grabbing to see if the Portuguese makes many widespread adjustments.
James Ward-Prowse could possibly be one participant who drops out as Nuno chases a debut win.
Why Ward-Prowse must be dropped
West Ham spent round £30m to deliver Ward-Prowse to the London Stadium in the summertime of 2023, and contemplating he was despatched on an unsuccessful short-term mortgage to Nottingham Forest final 12 months, it has been a failure of a transfer.
Nevertheless, whereas the followers had been determined for Potter to drop the previous Southampton star from the lineup, he continued to stick with the Englishman, one thing that arguably performed a hand in his sacking.
The 11-capped Englishman has had an excellent profession within the top-flight, and there was a degree at which his deadball talents made him a real menace for the Saints, however these days are lengthy gone.
As a substitute, the 30-year-old is now extra of a hindrance in the midst of the park than the rest, unable to supply a lot in assault and never being anyplace close to cell sufficient to assist out in defence.
We noticed this duel drawback on full show towards Crystal Palace, as although he took 61 touches and accomplished 41 passes, he amassed a mixed anticipated aim and assists determine of simply 0.25.
|
Ward-Prowse’s sport vs Palace |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
90′ |
|
Targets |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Touches |
61 |
|
Correct Passes |
41/48 (85%) |
|
Crosses (Correct) |
5 (1) |
|
Pictures on Goal |
0 |
|
Floor Duels (Gained) |
6 (1) |
|
Aerial Duels (Gained) |
3 (0) |
|
Misplaced Possession |
14 |
|
Fouls |
3 |
|
Dribbled Previous |
2 |
On prime of that, he misplaced 5 out of six floor duels, all three aerial duels, was dribbled previous twice, misplaced possession 14 occasions and gave away three fouls.
It was a horror present, and one that ought to see him nowhere close to the beginning lineup for fairly a while, particularly as West Ham have a brand new midfielder who may are available in and certainly do a greater job.
West Ham’s ideally suited Ward-Prowse alternative
Whereas there are a couple of choices Nuno may go along with on Monday night, he has to start out Soungoutou Magassa instead of Ward-Prowse.
The previous AS Monaco ace is actually nonetheless younger and considerably inexperienced in comparison with the Englishman, however he deserves an opportunity to point out the followers what he can do tonight.
Extra importantly, although, he provides one thing the previous Saints star not can: dynamism and high quality.
Based on revered analyst Ben Mattinson, the 21-year-old is blessed with a mixture of “pure athleticism” and a capability to “spray passes vast out to the wings” as a result of his “passing vary is prime.”
Furthermore, Mattinson has claimed that “defensively there is a excessive potential” within the teenager, which is borne out in his underlying numbers.
Based on FBref, he ranked within the prime 1% of midfielders in Ligue 1 final season for dribblers tackled, tackles plus interceptions, and ball recoveries, in addition to the highest 5% for tackles gained and extra, all per 90 minutes.
He additionally put up some promising attacking numbers as effectively, rating within the prime 9% for profitable take-on proportion and the highest 17% for passes into the ultimate third, additionally per 90.
|
Magassa’s Scout Report |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Per 90 |
Percentile |
|
Tackles (Mid third) |
2.37 |
Prime 1% |
|
Dribblers Tackled |
2.20 |
Prime 1% |
|
Dribbles Challenged |
4.04 |
Prime 1% |
|
Tkl+Int |
5.97 |
Prime 1% |
|
Ball Recoveries |
7.90 |
Prime 1% |
|
Tackles |
4.13 |
Prime 2% |
|
Interceptions |
1.84 |
Prime 4% |
|
Tackles Gained |
2.20 |
Prime 5% |
|
Profitable Take-On % |
65.2% |
Prime 9% |
|
Touches (Mid third) |
45.57 |
Prime 12% |
|
Tackles (Att third) |
0.53 |
Prime 16% |
|
Passes into Remaining Third |
5.88 |
Prime 17% |
|
Switches |
0.61 |
Prime 17% |
|
Aerials Gained |
1.14 |
Prime 12% |
In brief, whereas he’s nowhere close to the completed product, the “elegant” Frenchman, as dubbed by expertise scout Jacek Kulig, already seems to be a greater participant than Ward-Prowse.
Due to this fact, for Nuno to raise the possibilities of claiming all three factors, he ought to drop the 30-year-old and begin Magassa.
