‘Tough game’ – Coufal not expecting easy ride for West Ham in FA Cup clash v Doncaster
West Ham right-back Vladimir Coufal has stated he expects a difficult afternoon in our fourth round FA Cup tie with Doncaster Rovers.
The 28-year-old has been a revelation this season, joining for as little as £5m from Slavia Prague in the summer transfer window.
Speaking to whufc.com, the Czech Republic international says he learned a lot about English football in the last round away at Stockport County.
“Now I know that every game in England is very tough and it doesn’t matter which team you are playing against,” he confirmed.
“I saw it in Stockport, which was a very tough game, and they were from the fifth league.
“I’m expecting another tough game, but I expect us to show our quality and certainly we want to get through to the next round.”
Coufal has become a massive fan favourite in East London, and said he can’t wait to play in front of a home crowd.
“I’m very excited for that moment and I hope COVID will be over as soon as possible,” he said.
“It’s strange because I came to England and I still didn’t get to play in front of the fans, so it’s a little bit crazy for me and I’m a bit disappointed about it.”
Super Coufal plays the West Ham way
You’d have been forgiven for asking ‘who?’ when we signed Coufal back in September from the Czech league.
Right-back has for a while now been a position of frustration – we haven’t seemed to find a consistent one who can stay fit for prolonged periods since being back in the Premier League.
The signing of Coufal not only rectified this issue, but actually made it one of our strongest positions on the pitch. He’s formed a great partnership with Jarrod Bowen since coming into the side, even assisting his goal in our last game with West Brom.
Coufal has shown he’s not just an attacking fullback. He’s been part of our back four that has kept four consecutive clean sheets, and has kept the likes of Wilfred Zaha and Raheem Sterling quiet prior to that.
It’s ironic that despite not yet playing in front of more than 2,000 home fans, Coufal epitomizes all that we ask for from our players.
He works tirelessly, isn’t afraid to put a foot in, and has demonstrated he’s more than capable of creating chances for us to score.
We here at West Ham Zone can’t wait to get into the London Stadium when restrictions ease and give him our full support, along with the rest of David Moyes’ flourishing side.
In other West Ham news, here’s our predicted line up to face Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup.