West Ham United: David Moyes must axe Tomas Soucek v Burnley, Kalvin Phillips is ready
West Ham have to quickly lick their Europa League wounds as they prepare to do battle with Burnley at the London Stadium on Sunday (10 March).
Despite all of the Hammers’ chances, especially with Jarrod Bowen being thwarted by young shot-stopper Noah Atubolu and Lucas Paqueta fluffing his lines, David Moyes’ side suffered a 1-0 loss at Freiburg in their last-16 first-leg tie and have it all to do in the return tie.
Substitute Michael Gregortitsch opened the scoring in the 81st minute, taking advantage of poor defending by Kurt Zouma, although he was not the most worrying performer on the night.
David Moyes must replace Tomas Soucek v Burnley
Though Tomas Soucek was sound in the defensive areas, using his stature to his advantage and making three headed clearances, his all-round play was substandard. [FotMob]
While West Ham were eager to sit back and attack on the counter, some of the Czech’s stray passes ruined the flow on several occasions, gifting the ball straight back to Freiburg.
He may have won the most duels of anyone in the match, boating a 73 per cent success rate in aerial duels, as per FotMob, but it is his ground duels that are the biggest worry ahead of facing 19th-place Burnley in the Premier League.
The Clarets, even despite their torrid form, have some brilliant technicians in the team, who will easily bypass Soucek in midfield if he is to match the same 25% success rate in ground duels.
Why could Kalvin Phillips be the ready-made replacement for West Ham United?
Replacing James Ward-Prowse in the 82nd minute, Kalvin Phillips was given little time to prove his readiness on the pitch but was still able to make an impact.
With 100 per cent pass completion and 100 per cent ground duels won, the Freiburg players struggled to cope with the energy and physicality of the Manchester City loanee, and he could bring the same against Burnley. [FotMob]
The 28-year-old, who is on loan at the London Stadium until the end of the season, has only made two league starts so far and will be keen to impress after a difficult start, with a lack of match sharpness.
Soucek is not the only player who could be axed from the starting XI, with several stars underperforming in such an important game. But he is certainly a contender.
In other West Ham news, Dean Jones has shared a fresh London Stadium exit update regarding one Hammers star.
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.