Jacob Steinberg shares West Ham United midfield verdict after defeat v Man City
Jacob Steinberg believes the West Ham midfield looked weaker after Edson Alvarez was substituted in the defeat to Manchester City on Saturday (16 September).
The Guardian journalist tweeted after the game that the Hammers side “got worse” after the substitutions were made and that they were “not as strong” in the middle of the park after the 25-year-old Mexican was forced off the field in the 68th minute with the score at 1-1.
He said Mohammed Kudus and Said Benrahma looked “lost out wide” and that Jarrod Bowen was “not as much of a nuisance” up front as Michail Antonio, who was taken off on 67 minutes in the 3-1 defeat at the London Stadium.
Got it wrong
The substitution of Alvarez was, unfortunately, necessary because he was clearly suffering after picking up a knock and he had already been yellow-carded.
That meant James Ward-Prowse had to drop deeper and play alongside Tomas Soucek, with the pair not looking very comfortable against the impressive Man City midfield.
The decisions from Moyes didn’t really make much sense, though, as Antonio did look a threat whenever he picked up the ball despite being isolated for long periods.
Bowen looked like someone playing out of position when he was asked to lead the line, but Kudus had a couple of bright moments on the ball and Benrahma never really got into the contest.
It was in midfield where the game was lost because we really lacked Alvarez’s presence in there and it could be a bit of a concern if he is to miss a few matches at any point during this season.
In other West Ham news, Antonio has shared his verdict on what some “cheeky” fans said to one Hammers player.