West Ham’s standout from a dismal display: El Hadji Malick Diouf debut analysed vs Sunderland
The start of a Premier League campaign is supposed to be joyous for a new club, but West Ham experienced a nightmare.
West Ham were thrashed 3-0 by Sunderland in the Premier League after goals from Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard and Wilson Isidor.
Graham Potter is already under pressure as Hammers boss after winning just five of his 20 matches in charge of the club.
Potter’s men were completely decimated defensively, sparking concerns about their chances of bettering their 14th place finish in 2024/25.
Although it was a nightmare afternoon for the visitors, supporters will have been pleased to see El Hadji Malick Diouf in action, with West Ham Zone analysing his performance.
El Hadji Malick Diouf enjoys freedom on the left
Diouf’s deployment was much of the same as what was seen in pre-season. The defender was given the license to push forward at will, often providing all of the Hammers’ width on the left side.
But West Ham often struggled to get the ball to the 20-year-old, with Sunderland looking to put pressure on the ball immediately.
When in space, though, Diouf was effective. The Senegal international enjoyed the best chance of the first half, appearing on the edge of the box and unleashing a strike that would have broken the deadlock, if not for Dan Ballard’s sliding intervention.
- El Hadji Malick Diouf arrived last month in a deal worth around £19million.
And just seconds later, the full-back delivered a cutting ball across the box that was just taken off the toes of Niclas Fullkrug.
As with any role that gives a player more freedom, there were drawbacks to Diouf’s forward positioning.
Sunderland found joy down West Ham’s left flank on several occasions, although the Black Cats’ second goal will be more attributed to Jean-Clair Todibo’s failure to cut out the cross.
El Hadji Malick Diouf’s stats vs Sunderland
Diouf created two chances and took three shots against Sunderland – more than striker Fullkrug.
The full-back also enjoyed one successful dribble and won five of his nine duels, with three of them coming in the air.
Diouf registered four clearances and three recoveries, on what was a terrible day defensively for West Ham.
| El Hadji Malick Diouf | vs Sunderland |
| Minutes | 90 |
| Chances created | 2 |
| Shots | 3 |
| Accurate crosses | 1 |
Whilst the Senegal international can be pleased with some aspects of his debut, it was a poor day for the Hammers.
Diouf’s performance has given a taste of what role the defender can be expected to play this season, however, with the hope being that the 20-year-old can be more effective when allowed more space by the opposition.
But for that to happen, Potter must ask his attackers to give their opposing defenders an excuse to follow them more closely.
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