Guido Rodriguez singled out as West Ham United problem raised live on BBC
Nigel Reo-Coker has singled out Guido Rodriguez and also shared that he thinks the main problem West Ham United have at the moment is that they don’t know what their best starting XI is yet.
The midfielder was brought in as a free agent in the summer transfer window and was expected to help shore up the Hammers’ midfield ranks.
Instead, the club have found themselves 14th in the Premier League and without a clear vision for the season.
Speaking on BBC Sport’s Football Daily Podcast (3 November), former West Ham man Reo-Coker shared his verdict on the performance of some of United’s players this season.
“I think for me the problem with Lopetegui is that that he still doesn’t know what his strongest side is yet,” he said.
“We’ve had a lot of change at the club, new signings come in. I have a question on Rodriguez in midfield – can he really handle the athleticism of the Premier League?
“I’m still not seeing the identity yet of what [Lopetegui’s] trying to create at West Ham.
“I did say at the start of the season that I was around the team a little bit in pre-season and my thing is, I’m sure they’re lovely lads and they will know more than me, but I do question the characters there.
“For me, you can always see real characters and personalities when you’re around football players and I had the sense that when I was there, that was a worry for me, who’s going to stand up there.”
Guido Rodriguez needs to improve his performances for West Ham
Of all West Ham’s summer arrivals, Rodriguez caught the eye more than most. The World Cup winner had spent a decent chunk of his career at Real Betis before his switch to the London Stadium.
His arrival was expected to change the way the Hammers’ midfield worked and many expected him to form a formidable partnership alongside Edson Alvarez.
Due to the Mexico international’s hot head and the fact that both players are too slow on and off the ball to be played alongside one another, it feels like his arrival hasn’t been worthwhile.
Indeed, his defensive work is second-to-none but as Reo-Coker mentioned, his athleticism isn’t quite up to the level it’s needed to be competitive in the top flight.
If West Ham want to improve their Premier League standing, things will have to change soon and players such as Rodriguez will have to step things up a gear or they could be faced with the prospect of a relegation battle by the end of the season.
In other West Ham news, David Moyes has shared his verdict on whether Julen Lopetegui should be sacked.
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