West Ham United: David Moyes must axe Vladimir Coufal v Tottenham, let himself down
David Moyes will be extremely disappointed with his West Ham team after they capitulated during a 4-3 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday (30 March).
The Hammers got off the worst possible start as Vladimir Coufal fouled Anthony Gordon in the box, with the Magpies awarded a penalty after just three minutes, which Alexander Isak powered home for 1-0.
Goals from Michail Antonio and Mohammed Kudus completely changed West Ham’s outlook on the match, with Jarrod Bowen adding a third before Eddie Howe’s side scored three late goals.
Vladimir Coufal moment changes the mood for West Ham United
After the 5-0 victory over Freiburg in the Europa League and the hard-fought 1-1 draw against Aston Villa before the international break set the Hammers up for a run of positive results.
But after Coufal was penalised after just three minutes, the mood at St James’ Park was set very quickly and many would have been expecting the worst.
Of course, Antonio and Kudus’ goals looked to have changed West Ham’s fortunes, but in the end, only delayed the inevitable as Isak grabbed his brace before Harvey Barnes fired home twice as a substitute.
One player who will need to seriously question his display in Coufal. Not only did the Czechia international give the early penalty away, but also struggled to deal with the constant Newcastle threat.
With a 69 per cent pass accuracy, as per FotMob, the full-back was below his 72 per cent average in the Premier League this season, stopping the Hammers’ attack from flowing. [FotMob]
His 0 per cent accuracy with long balls also hindered Moyes’ style of play. Antonio was happy to run in behind all match, but the passes were not up to scratch, and Coufal will be disappointed.
In addition to this, dealing with Gordon and Joe Willock was just too difficult for the full-back, who ended the match winning 50 per cent of his aerial battles as well as 0 per cent of his ground duels.
With Ben Johnson waiting in the wings, Moyes must bite the bullet against Tottenham and axe one of his West Ham favourites from the starting XI.
The right-back is likely to be up against Heung-Min Son on Tuesday 2 April, an attacker who ranks in the top 95 percentile for assists, top 90 percentile for shot-creating actions, top 77 percentile for successful take-ons, and the top 93 percentile for progressive passes. [FBref]
Whoever Moyes decides to start at the London Stadium against Spurs, they are likely to struggle. After what happened against Newcastle, Johnson should be handed a start.
In other West Ham news, Gareth Southgate wanted to select a Hammers teammate of Jarrod Bowen’s for his latest squad.
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