Tony Cottee shares ‘biggest problem’ Lopetegui faces at West Ham United
Tony Cottee believes the “biggest problem” Julen Lopetegui is facing at West Ham United is that his midfield has no pace.
The Hammers bolstered their midfield ranks massively in the summer and saw both Guido Rodriguez and Carlos Soler added to their squad but neither have really displaced Edson Alvarez or Tomas Soucek in the starting XI.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (5 November, 07:52am), Cottee shared why he believes West Ham’s midfield is an issue.
“The biggest problem for me is the midfield,” he said. “There’s no legs in the midfield, there’s no pace whatsoever in the midfield.
“At the weekend you had Rodriguez, you had Soler, you had Alvarez, you know there’s no pace and as a result of that the midfield’s getting overrun, stretched at the back and you’re conceding goals”.
Guido Rodriguez needs to improve his West Ham United performances
Of all West Ham’s summer arrivals, Rodriguez’s was arguably the one that was the most surprising.
The 2022 World Cup winner saw his contract expire at Real Betis and while there were little to no rumours about his London Stadium switch until negotiations entered the latter stages, a deal was struck.
Many fans believed the Argentina international would be the answer to their midfield woes and most likely thought he’d be able to form a solid partnership with Edson Alvarez but, evidently, it is one that just had not ignited at all.
Since his arrival, he’s had little to say or do with the team’s performances and has had plenty of scrutiny thrown his way.
Rodriguez’s transfer may not have cost West Ham anything to seal but it still feels like more could come from the midfielder.
If he wants to show he can be a difference-maker and that he can have an impact on the squad, he’s going to have to buck his ideas up ASAP.
In other West Ham news, David Moyes has shared his thoughts on whether Lopetegui should be sacked.
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