West Ham Vs Nottm Forest Sat 25th Feb - kick off 3pm

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Comments

  • LukerzLukerz
    I would really like that second half team to get a run of games with Fornals replacing Soucek.

    Areola
    Johnson - Aguerd - Ogbonna - Cresswell
    Paqueta - Rice
    Bowen - Fornals - Benrahma
    Ings
  • IronHerbIronHerb
    I know Soucek isn't flavour of the month but he had a really good game yesterday.
  • alderzalderz
    Lukerz said:

    I would really like that second half team to get a run of games with Fornals replacing Soucek.

    Areola
    Johnson - Aguerd - Ogbonna - Cresswell
    Paqueta - Rice
    Bowen - Fornals - Benrahma
    Ings

    I’m not sure about Cresswell and Oggy on the left hand side of defence together, tbh. Brennan Johnson ran past them both like that were in slow mo. I thought, for the most part, Cress was awful when he came on
  • LukerzLukerz
    Yeah I am just interested to see what we could do with that midfield 3. More curious than wanting Soucek out the side.
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited February 2023
    alderz - I thought he started like a player who hadn’t played for a while (which he hasn’t). I felt he was better after 15 minutes or so.

    I don’t know if Coufal picked up a knock or Moyes just wasn’t happy with him.
  • LukerzLukerz
    IronHerb said:

    I know Soucek isn't flavour of the month but he had a really good game yesterday.

    Interesting as I thought he was really limited, I will check the stats in case I am completely wrong but I didn’t see him win many headers, felt he lost a lot of aerial duals with Forest players. I know he does a lot of running & a lot of defensive work.
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited February 2023
    I felt Coufal was very wasteful first half from his positions, Johnson was awkward being on his left side, Benrahma was very poor given the amount of ball he had & opportunities to make things happen. Soucek was his usual busy self but I didn’t feel he would have been missed had he not started. Ings was lacking sharpness.

    Second half I thought everybody was really good (excluding a rusty Cresswell), apart from Benrahma who I thought burst into life in the last 20 minutes but before that had been wasteful again. Soucek, again, got through a lot of miles but was pretty ineffective at the things he was good at two years ago; headers, keeping the ball alive in the oppositions box & getting into goal-scoring positions.
  • alderzalderz
    Lukerz said:

    I don’t know if Coufal picked up a knock or Moyes just wasn’t happy with him.

    Lukerz said:

    I felt Coufal was very wasteful first half from his positions, Johnson was awkward being on his left side.

    I think you might have answered your own question!

    In the first half, Johnson was sitting deep, allowing us to keep three back, while Coufal bombed on. This is something that Arsenal do a lot, and I've heard described as an 'elbow' back four. The problem was that Coufal kept getting into good positions and then doing very little with it (60% pass completion, 25% cross completion) - though he did create a good chance, which was the one that Ings headed a mile wide (I think).

    I think Moyes decided he wanted a fullback that would be better in possession, so he brought on Cresswell. But that means Coufal and Cresswell as your fullbacks, and I personally think that he trusts Johnson defensively more than he trusts Coufal. So, just switch Johnson to right back to be the deep one, and Cresswell can come on and try to overlap.

    Personally, I think Emerson should be given a go as an out and out left back, as I think he is more than capable of it, but I think the logic of the decision makes sense.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    Coufal got an injury in the first half and it wasn’t a tactical change.
  • OldCastleSwiftOldCastleSwift
    alderz, it's why fullback is a key position for us in the summer, IMO. We currently have no left backs that can defend particularly well, and lack pace and final third ability on the right.

    I hope Newman is already looking at that Johnson, Coufal, Kehrer, Cresswell or Emerson have failed to nail down either position.
  • buffybegoodbuffybegood
    At least Moyes (and so you'd like to think Newman is also aware) finally realises that we need a new, starting LB. Cresswell simply isn't good enough any more (how many of us were saying this last season and during the summer transfer window?) and it seems Emerson, despite looking quite good as a LWB, obviously isn't trusted as a LB in a back 4 as both Kehrer and now Johnson have been tried there ahead of him.
  • welovethehammerswelovethehammers
    I’m surprised re the comments on Soucek here.

    I thought yesterday he was excellent. Something he did really well that gets easily overlooked is picking the ball off players without giving away fouls. He did that quote a few times while pressing / capitalising on Forest players’ poor first touches and dribbling. He also covered a heck of a lot of ground which can also get easily overlooked.
  • MIAHammerMIAHammer
    One area lacking were our corners. I think we only had one or two where we won the first header.
  • jay_in_cptjay_in_cpt
    MIAHammer said:

    One area lacking were our corners. I think we only had one or two where we won the first header.

    We had lots and in general IMO way too predictable
  • chicagohammerchicagohammer
    I thought our corners were much improved, let’s face it, we had at least eleven and Forest failed to create a decent scoring opportunity from any of them.

    I would be asking questions if I was them
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