Nuno Espirito Santo cannot make Soungoutou Magassa mistake again in Leeds vs West Ham
West Ham’s dismal loss to Brentford on Monday means that Nuno Espirito Santo will be under more pressure.
Nuno made five changes to the West Ham team that lost 2-0 to Arsenal before the international break, however, they did not pay off.
One of those dropped from the starting line-up was Soungoutou Magassa, and that proved to be a huge mistake from the Portuguese boss.
The West Ham boss made controversial calls as he started with Jean-Clair Todibo in defence, with Tomas Soucek and Andy Irving in midfield, leaving the French midfielder on the bench, and a huge hole in his side.
Why was dropping Soungoutou Magassa a mistake for West Ham?
Magassa is exactly what West Ham needed, a dynamic midfielder who looks to progress the ball quickly, rather than holding onto it.
It is something that they were lacking last season, and which the likes of Soucek and Irving cannot offer to Nuno at the London Stadium.
Magassa ranks seventh for accurate long passes per 90 minutes in Nuno’s squad with one, per Sofascore, with James Ward-Prowse the only midfielder above him, showing that he is keen to get the ball forward.
Defensively, he ranks fourth in the Hammers’ squad for tackles per 90 with 1.3, and only Kyle Walker-Peters, Lucas Paqueta and Matheus Fernandes can better him in that metric.
He makes 0.8 blocks per 90, which ranks joint-second for the Irons with Konstantinos Mavropanos, behind only Max Kilman.
He boasts a pass accuracy of 83 per cent, while also winning 44 per cent of the ground duels that he has attempted.
The fact that he never even got off the bench and Nuno decided to put Guido Rodriguez on, is a shambles.
Nuno risks further ridicule if he fails to start Magassa vs Leeds
Magassa simply has to start against the Whites, he is an all-action midfielder, something which Nuno is desperate for.
If the Portuguese manager fails to put the Frenchman back into his team then it will be a major concern for Hammers supporters, and open him up to further ridicule.
His decision to make five changes against the Bees was a baffling one, he cannot afford to repeat the Magassa mistake again.
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