Aaron Cresswell preparing for West Ham United exit after torrid showing in 2-1 loss v Liverpool
West Ham United suffered a setback in their quest for Premier League survival as they were defeated 2-1 by Liverpool at the London Stadium on Wednesday [26 April].
The Hammers took a 12th-minute lead when Lucas Paqueta, after playing a silky one-two with Michail Antonio, fired an “incredible” 20-yarder past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.
But Liverpool clawed themselves back through goals from Cody Gakpo before half-time and a thumping Joel Matip header midway through the second half to consign the Hammers to their first defeat in six games in all competitions.
It was a real shame for David Moyes’ men, as they failed to build upon their resounding 4-0 victory over Bournemouth on Sunday [23 April] and distance themselves from the dreaded drop zone.
It’s no secret that West Ham United will be undergoing much change this summer both on and off the pitch which leaves several players potentially playing for their London Stadium futures in the coming games and one man who certainly looked to be jetting off mentally already was veteran defender Aaron Cresswell.
The left-back excelled in the Bournemouth thumping last weekend registering an assist for Michail Antonio’s opener, but failed to deliver when Liverpool came to town.
The 33-year-old is out of contract at the London Stadium in June and certainly played like a man with one eye on his summer destination.
As per Sofascore, Cresswell simply failed to make any blocks or tackles and didn’t win aerial duels in a lacklustre performance and his underlying defensive stats don’t make good reading either, ranks in the bottom 2% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for tackles per 90 and the lowest 19% for blocks, as per FBref.
His offensive talent has always garnered much praise throughout his West Ham United career, but Wednesday evening left a lot to be desired. Cresswell only recorded a 59% pass completion rate, one key pass, and no successful dribbles, while losing possession a whopping 15 times [SofaScore].
Through such numbers, it looks increasingly clear that the Hammers should now be looking at potential summer replacements. Due to his age and declining form, it would be no surprise if the club hierarchy decided to ditch the Englishman in the face of an extensive rebuild.
With Emerson Palmieri fighting for a starting place, Moyes may well decide to bench Cresswell for the club’s upcoming games. There doesn’t seem to be a West Ham United future in the offing for the 33-year-old and it certainly looks as if his head has turned elsewhere.