Mohammed Kudus must start against Newcastle – Three things learned in West Ham United v Freiburg
West Ham United continued their excellent start to the season and their Europa League campaign with a 2-1 win over Freiburg on Thursday 5 October.
Goals from Lucas Paqueta and Nayef Aguerd either side of Roland Sallai’s second-half strike ensured that Moyes’ side went top of Group A having been the only side to win both of their opening two matches in the European competition.
Paqueta opened the scoring with an excellent header with only eight minutes on the clock before the home side struck back only moments into the second half after a goal-mouth scramble. But Aguerd’s header from James Ward-Prowse’s corner ensured all three points would be heading back to East London.
Here’s what we learned from the Hammers’ win.
Fabianski still has it
Alphonse Areola has been in inspired form for the Hammers in the Premier League so far this season and it has seen Lukasz Fabianski restricted to appearances in the cup competitions, but the Polish stopper showed he is still a very good goalkeeper on Thursday.
The 38-year-old’s double save early in the second half was one of the moments of the match and he was incredibly unfortunate that Freiburg were able to finally find their goal with their third effort. Fabianksi made four saves and registered 12 ball recovers [Fotmob] in a performance that showed the Irons have plenty of cover should Areola be ruled out for any reason this season.
Ings may be finished
With no Michail Antonio in the Hammers squad, Thursday seemed the perfect opportunity for Danny Ings to get another run out in claret and blue following his start in the Europa League opener against TSC Backa Topola, but the former Southampton man was rooted to the bench.
Ings entered the contest in the 90th minute and only managed four touches of the ball in his incredibly short cameo, which demonstrates just where he stands in Moyes’ pecking order as the former Manchester United boss preferred a combination of Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus in attack.
If the Hammers striker isn’t going to even get on the field when he is the only fit senior striker in West Ham’s ranks, it might be best for everyone involved if he moves away from the London Stadium when the January transfer window opens.
Kudus closing in
Moyes has been on the receiving end of plenty of criticism this season as he had made the West Ham faithful wait to see Kudus in action domestically and after the Ghana international had a decent evening against Freiburg, he must be closing in on a Premier League start.
The 23-year-old was entertaining to watch on the ball, completing all three of his attempted dribbles and registering an impressive three passes into the final third throughout the game. Defensively he went about his business well, winning his only tackle and a total of seven duels [Fotmob].
Maybe the visit of Newcastle on Sunday (8 October) will finally see him start in the league.
In other West Ham news, Callum Wilson has said it is inevitable that he’ll score against the Hammers for Newcastle