‘You expect more’ – Tomas Soucek ripped to shreds by Czechia media after win vs Montenegro
West Ham ace Tomas Soucek has been slammed for his performance with Czechia on Friday.
Soucek was central to interest from Everton this summer as David Moyes looked to bring the 30-year-old to Merseyside with him.
Despite this, West Ham managed to keep hold of Soucek, and he has continued to play a regular role under Graham Potter at the London Stadium.
This has translated on the international stage with Soucek lining up for Czechia on 5 September as his country faced Montenegro.
Having secured a 2-0 win in their opening World Cup qualification group match, a positive reaction would usually be expected, but that hasn’t been the case for the Hammers ace.
Tomas Soucek struggles for Czechia vs Montenegro
Stuart Pearce loves Soucek at West Ham, showcasing exactly what sort of player the Irons have on their hands right now.
Having kept Soucek away from Everton this summer, there was hope that he could continue at the same rate as he has in previous years.
That hasn’t truly been seen so far, despite his goal against Wolves, and his lack of form appears to have followed onto the international stage.
The Hammers midfielder started and featured throughout the 90 minutes, but hasn’t been looked upon favourably by national media in Czechia.
This saw online outlet Medium slate the 30-year-old with some harsh words after the full-time whistle at Stadion Pod Goricom in Montenegro.
They said: “Tomas Soucek was practically invisible in yesterday’s match. He didn’t make any mistakes going backwards, which is the main thing, but he didn’t add any extras, and he often spoiled the pass.
“You simply expect more from a captain in such an important match. Fortunately, others took it for him.”
It was added that Soucek looked “exhausted” with his midfield display.
This sentiment was echoed by Fotbal Zpravy, who said: “The captain of the Czech team was, as always, indispensable in the air, but he was also very inaccurate in combination and even let himself be bypassed at the back several times.”
West Ham need Tomas Soucek to find form
There is no getting away from the level of impact that the box-to-box midfielder can have when given the chance to prove himself.
That has been seen over the years with his level of goal output despite often operating as a deeper midfield option under both Potter and Julen Lopetegui.
- Soucek has featured 249 times since signing for West Ham
- In that time, he has scored 39 goals and has assisted 11
- Similarly, for Czechia, the midfielder has played 82 and contributed to 20 goals
It will certainly be interesting to see if Soucek can bounce back from this level of scrutiny and how it will impact his performance moving forward.
The Hammers will be hopeful to once again see his best form in claret and blue moving forward after a difficult start to the international break.
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