Nuno Espirito Santo must end Tomas Soucek experiment at half time in West Ham vs Man United, it hasn’t worked
West Ham won’t beat Manchester United with Tomas Soucek playing on the wing.
Man United are playing host to West Ham at Old Trafford and have had the better chances in the opening 45 minutes.
The Hammers are lucky to be going in at the break on level terms as they continue to struggle without Lucas Paqueta after his red card against Liverpool.
Nuno Espirito Santo hasn’t called upon Luis Guilherme against Man United, leaving him with limited wide options against the Red Devils.
Nuno opted to go with Soucek as a wide midfield option, but with the half-time whistle blown, the head coach made a tactical change ready for the second half.
Tomas Soucek in wrong position vs Manchester United
Soucek has always been a goalscoring midfielder for West Ham, but has done so with late runs into the box from deep.
The Czechia international is far from an attacking midfield option, regardless of what his goal record in claret and blue speaks of.
The 30-year-old prefers to play in a more central role closer to his own box, affording him the space to make these runs forward.
Nuno has opted to utilise him on the right against Ruben Amorim’s side, but his lack of mobility and true ability on the ball hasn’t made for a good watch.
Soucek is struggling to make a positive impact in attacking areas and is arguably making things worse for the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson.
Making a change at half-time would certainly give the home side something to think about and potentially allow the Irons to have more of a say on proceedings.
George Earthy or Callum Marshall deserve West Ham chance
The Hammers are without Pauqeta and Crysencio Summerville, and it shows.
There is such a lack of attacking force that the away side have been largely locked deep within their own half in the opening 45 minutes.
Someone with a forward mindset needs to be thrown in with the hope of changing the tide, even if that means taking out the likes of Soucek or Matheus Fernandes.
George Earthy or Callum Marshall could be in line for some proper first-team minutes in claret and blue if the change is made during the interval.
This use of youthful exuberance may prove to be a risk, but it may be one worth taking after a really frustrating first-half performance from Nuno’s men.
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