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David Seaman wowed by 'spectacular' Alphonse Areola despite West Ham United loss v Man City
David Seaman was left wowed by Alphonse Areola for West Ham United in their 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday 16 September.
The Hammers had taken the lead at the London Stadium through James Ward-Prowse only to then be pegged back by three second-half goals from Pep Guardiola’s side, as the champions found their rhythm.
Despite the defeat, former Arsenal and England stopper Seaman picked out the Frenchman as one of David Moyes’ side’s best performers, after he made an impressive 10 saves in the match, the most of any Premier League keeper this season.
Discussing the performance on the Seaman Says podcast (18 September) he said: “I’ve got to give it to [Alphonse] Areola because it’s not save of the week, it’s saves of the week because he had so much to do and so many saves to make.
“The one that he made from [Erling] Haaland when Haaland did like a little bit of a bicycle kick. I know it looks spectacular but the timing that he’s got to get on that is brilliant. But it was an accumulation of saves, he must have been into double figures.
“There was one corner where he made three saves within about ten seconds, I was very impressed with him.”
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Spectacular
There was plenty of debate before a ball was kicked this season over whether Areola or Lucas Fabianski should be starting between the posts in the Premier League for the Hammers, but with each passing game, the Frenchman is cementing his position as number one even further.
While the spectacular saves will always be what catches the eye, he is providing such a steady and effective base for the rest of the Hammers team to play in front of and that is a luxury most teams in world football would love to have.
Seaman knows a thing or two about what it takes to be an excellent goalkeeper in the Premier League and Moyes has one of the best currently in his ranks. The only thing that will frustrate the Scotsman is how much work his stopper has to get through at times.
There’s no shame in facing a barrage of shots when playing against Manchester City, most teams struggle to contain their attacking talent, but in games where Areola faces fewer shots, he could likely be the difference between West Ham winning or losing.
If the 30-year-old maintains his excellent form, it could be a huge boost to the Irons’ chances of a fourth consecutive season in Europe.
In other West Ham news, talks have been scheduled to extend Michail Antonio’s stay at the London Stadium