West Ham: David Moyes must axe Tomas Soucek v Nottingham Forest, Phillips is ready
David Moyes is under massive pressure at West Ham after a 6-0 thrashing by Arsenal, but he has the chance to redeem himself against Nottingham Forest on Saturday 17 February.
There were few positives from the Hammers’ thrashing at London Stadium on Sunday 11 February, other than Alphonse Areola, who was dubbed “magnificent” by Gareth Ainsworth.
One player who looked completely lost during the match was Tomas Soucek. Since the goals have dried up for the Czechia international, he has been unable to make the desired impact for West Ham and struggled against Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in midfield.
Tomas Soucek stumbles against Arsenal
Like many of his teammates, Soucek’s passing accuracy was hindered by the Gunners’ dangerous press throughout the match, only being able to maintain a 61 per cent accuracy, and also completing 0 per cent of his long balls up to Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus. [FotMob]
The 28-year-old won 50 per cent of his tackles in midfield, as well as 57 per cent of his ground battles. But despite standing at six feet and four inches, Soucek could only manage a 44 per cent winning rate in aerial duels.
Although he won the most duels of anyone in the match, the West Ham man also lost the same number of duels, which suggests that Moyes should drop him against Forest. With Moyes unlikely to deploy just one defensive midfielder, who would replace him?
Kalvin Phillips ready for West Ham redemption
It is no secret that Phillips has experienced a tough start to life at London Stadium since making the switch from Manchester City in the January transfer window.
The loanee was thrown straight into the action against Bournemouth for his full debut, playing a major role in Dominic Solanke’s third-minute opener. The blame should have been solely on Kurt Zouma for his poor backpass, but it was Phillips who was dropped against Manchester United.
He was also dispossessed against the Red Devils for Alejandro Garnacho’s second goal as West Ham were subjected to another loss. But having gained enough minutes now, Phillips is ready to start against Forest.
The 28-year-old replaced Edson Alvarez at half-time during the 6-0 result against Arsenal but, with the pressure off, he made a much bigger impact than Soucek.
He may have been booked, but it was clear that Phillips just wanted to show energy amid a soul-sucking defeat. Winning 100 per cent of his tackles and 100 per cent of his aerial duels, the midfield replacement earned one of the better FotMob ratings out of the entire West Ham squad.
In other West Ham news, Richard Keys has slammed Mikel Arteta in a new Moyes verdict out of the London Stadium
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.