Edson Alvarez must be axed at HT after what he did for West Ham v Fulham
Julen Lopetegui must think about axing Edson Alvarez at half-time as West Ham trail 1-0 against Fulham.
The Irons have found themselves trailing at the break upon their return from the international break, thanks to a goal from Raul Jiminez.
It has been one-sided yet again after another slow start, with Lucas Paqueta ready to come on and change things around if needed in midfield.
Lucas Pauqeta could turn the game around for West Ham United
Although the Brazilian usually starts in the number 10 role for Lopetegui, the Spaniard chose to push Tomas Soucek further up the field and leave Paqueta out which came as quite a surprise to fans.
While the midfield is fairly stable, the attackers are getting hardly any service as none of the three midfielders has much attacking prowess.
Socuek has been known to score the odd goal here and there but more creativity needs to be brought onto the pitch if they want to turn things around.
Paqueta is one of the Hammers’ best players which is shown by his 15-goal contributions last term.
West Ham newbie Carlos Soler would also be a valid option as the Spaniard could unlock defences alongside Paqueta, rather than looking to keep things solid.
Should the Hammers fail to gain any points once again, it would be a failure on all accounts, especially due to the number of new faces that have arrived at the London Stadium.
In other West Ham news, Nayef Aguerd has made a new London Stadium exit admission after his deadline-day transfer
RELATED STORY
West Ham had serious work to do in the transfer market after suffering such heavy losses. Kinga Szemik has been drafted in to replace Arnold between the sticks and kept the most clean sheets in the Première Ligue last season. Newcomers Camila Sáez and now-permanent signing Shelina Zadorsky will provide cover in front of her and bring plenty of defensive experience, while Li Mengwen arrived on loan on deadline day to add more depth. The team’s biggest problem was in front of goal last season, though. They recorded the second-worst goal difference in the league and scored the joint-least, and none of their new signings look set to immediately rectify that problem. They do have potential: Seraina Piubel is a versatile attacker who scored 35 goals in her 130 appearances at Zürich, and Manuela Paví has made an impression in attack for Colombia. However, it’s likely to be Vivianne Asseyi and Riko Ueki who are relied on to produce the goods in attack- and will that be enough to save the Hammers from relegation?
Brighton and Hove Albion
Yes, the Seagulls have remained in the Women’s Super League since they arrived in 2018 – but they have flirted with danger for multiple campaigns now and are in desperate need of some stability. 2022/23’s chaos saw them survive by only five points with the division’s worst goal difference, and go through two ‘permanent’ managers before eventually appointing Melissa Phillips. The American attracted some blockbuster signings last summer and it appeared there was real buy-in to a project under her leadership – until she was also sacked in February 2024. Brighton ended up finishing a respectable 9th, but only Bristol City lost more games than them and it was clear from their failure to win a game since March that serious change would be needed. However, the transfer window has seen them lose some of their most important players. Elisabeth Terland scored half of all their league goals; she’s moved to Manchester United. Katie Robinson and Lee Geum-Min, longtime vital parts of their attack, have moved to Aston Villa and Birmingham City respectively. Tatiana Pinto, Veatriki Sarri, Emma Kullberg, and Julia Zigiotti Olme have all also departed.
The biggest problem for new boss Dario Vidošić is how to replace the goalscoring gap left by Terland, whose individual quality often pushed Brighton over the line to gain crucial points. She scored a brace to secure a draw against Leicester in December, a 95th-minute winner against Bristol City in January, and another late winner to secure victory over Leicester again in March – all in all, seven points without which they would have been two places lower in the table. They have signed a few options to replace her: Kiko Seike arrives from Urawa Reds off the back of a 20-goal season and 20-year-old Aisha Masaka brings Champions League experience from BK Häcken.
Leave a Reply