A West Ham legend has advised Julen Lopetegui to bench a player who had a “horrible” international break.
David Moyes revolutionized West Ham United, transforming them from a mid-table team with relegation fears into European Champions in a short span. While key players like Michail Antonio and Declan Rice were with the club before Moyes arrived, his signings significantly contributed to the team’s success.
Notably, his first signing, Jarrod Bowen, scored the winning goal in the Conference League final and is well on his way to becoming a club legend. However, other players, especially Tomas Soucek, were also crucial under Moyes.
Despite a decline in form towards the end of his tenure, Moyes relied heavily on Soucek, who was central to his tactical approach. Unfortunately, Soucek’s style does not align well with Julen Lopetegui’s philosophy, and club legend Frank McAvennie has suggested that Lopetegui should consider dropping Soucek. “There are a few midfielders not performing well. I’m surprised to still see Soucek starting,” McAvennie told West Ham Zone.
“Soucek has his strengths and can score goals, but he has been underperforming for West Ham. The last few games showed some improvement, but his international performances were poor.”
While it might be unfair to judge Soucek solely on recent international games, McAvennie’s critique holds weight. West Ham boasts several talented midfielders who could potentially start ahead of Soucek. It will be interesting to see if Lopetegui continues to favor Soucek as the new signings integrate into the squad.
