West Ham kicked of our pre-season campaign on Monday with a game against Ferencvaros out in Austria on Monday, and here’s how we rated the players then.
Julen Lopetegui set his team up in a 4-3-3 formation, when we were out of possession. When we had the ball though, that switched to more of a 3-4-3.
The Hammers players looked far more lively this afternoon than what they did five days ago in Austria during the 2-2 draw with Ferencvaros.
The Premier League campaign is just four weeks away now, so Lopetegui will expect his players to really ramp up their efforts during training over the course of the next month.
The West Ham stars are quite clearly nowhere near their physical peaks.
The good news is that it’s clear to see how Lopetegui wants his side to play, with an emphasis on keeping possession.
The Spaniard obviously wants his defenders to play out from the back, but at the same time he’s versatile, and is more than happy for the likes of Max Kilman to send it long.
So how did the Hammers players’ performances stack up today compared with our pre-season opener?
West Ham player ratings vs Dagenham and Redbridge
There was some really impressive displays out there today, but some concerning ones as well.
It was a real mixed bag, and Lopetegui will definitely have found out a few things about his players this afternoon – both good and bad.
Here’s how we rated every single player who took to the pitch this afternoon…
Lukasz Fabianski – 6
The 39-year-old put in a decent performance, and made one save that he definitely should have made. However, he really concerns me when he has the ball at his feet, and I just don’t see how he will fit into Lopetegui’s system.
Kaelen Casey – 8
The 20-year-old defender really stood out for me today, and he was by far the most impressive youth team player as far as I’m concerned. Casey played as a third centre-back at times, and a right wing-back as well, and he performed incredibly well. A super-impressive all-round performance from someone who could well break into the first-team this season.
Kurt Zouma – 7
A solid performance from the Frenchman, but he once again struggled to get around the pitch without hobbling along. Zouma’s fitness and physicality is a huge worry for me ahead of the new season, and I still think Lopetegui will go out and sign another centre-back this summer.
Max Kilman – 9
Such a dominant central defender. The 27-year-old put in a first-class performance against the Daggers today and it’s clear to see already that he’s a massive upgrade on Nayef Aguerd. Kilman was colossal in the air and impressive on the ground with his superb array of passing on full display. I absolutely love how he steps out of defence and intercepts balls played into the middle of the park.
Emerson Palmieri – 7
A decent performance from the Italian during his first pre-season start of the summer, but nothing spectacular. Emerson offered us a real outlet down the left hand side at times and he defended solidly. However, the 29-year-old was very sloppy with the ball when in possession at times.
Freddie Potts – 6
The 20-year-old struggled at times today, and lost the ball in key areas on a couple of occasions. In Potts’ defence though, he kept at the task at hand, and showcased plenty of courage and commitment. He put in the hards yards as well and made a couple of impressive interceptions.
Lewis Orford – 7
Like Potts, Orford was wasteful with the ball at times. That said, he did knock it about impressively as well, and displayed real composure when in possession. The 18-year-old is a real talent and I have no doubts that he will go on to enjoy a successful career with the Hammers.
James Ward-Prowse – 7
I have been pleading with Ward-Prowse to take more risks with his passing over the past few months, and he finally answered those calls today. The 29-year-old kept things ticking in the middle of the park, and really controlled the tempo of the game, especially during the final 20-25 minutes of the first-half.
Maxwel Cornet – 5
Disappointing on the whole for me today. The 27-year-old Ivorian did try to whip in a few crosses but there was a real lack of quality on display from him. His failure to beat his man and get in behind was the biggest worry for me, considering the level of the opposition. Cornet missed a really good chance towards the end of the first-half, and looks incredibly lightweight. Unfortunately, he needs to really up his game if he is to have a future at the London Stadium.
Luis Guilherme – 7
What I really liked about the Brazilian was his intent to make things happen inside the final third. He attempted a couple of shots from the edge of the penalty area and forced the Daggers goalkeeper into one very good save. He showcased some really impressive pace and enviable technique. There’s still plenty more to come from Guilherme though.
Callum Marshall – 5
A largely ominous performance from Marshall, who seems like a prime candidate for a loan spell away from the London Stadium this season. The 19-year-old never stopped running, but he just doesn’t seem to have the quality needed to succeed at the very highest level right now.
Everything changed at half-time, with eight players being replaced…
Wes Foderingham – 6
Hardly had anything to do. The 33-year-old will clearly be our third-choice keeper this season, so I’m not expecting much of him to be honest.
Aaron Cresswell – 6
Another decent performance from the seasoned pro, but he’s clearly not athletic enough to be playing at the highest level anymore. That said, I still think there’s room for him to play a part at the club this season as an experienced leader behind the scenes.
Konstantinos Mavropanos – 6
A much improved performance than what we saw from the Greece international on Monday. However, the 26-year-old didn’t really stand out, and he’s someone who needs to improve drastically between now and the start of the season.
Nayef Aguerd – 6
To be fair to Aguerd, he wasn’t that bad at all today, but he still looks far too lightweight to me. The Morocco international isn’t built for the English game as far as I’m concerned, and I think he may well be moved on this summer. The 28-year-old was actually bullied at times by the Dagenham forwards today!
Gideon Kodua – 6
The teenager was fairly anonymous after he came on, although he did showcase real determination, tenacity, energy and stamina down the right-hand flank at one point in particular during the second-half, when he chased down a loose ball from Irving. He certainly didn’t let anyone down.
Andy Irving – 8
The 24-year-old midfielder deserves an 8/10 purely because of his wonder strike just after the second-half kicked off. He actually looked decent in possession as well – well done Andy!
George Earthy – 7
The 19-year-old showed once again just how comfortable he is playing with the senior team. He has an exceptional first touch and is always incredibly composed when he receives the ball. I love how Earthy bursts into the penalty box at every opportunity. That said, he’s still a bit rough around the edges and carless in possession at times. He gave the ball away needlessly midway through the second-half, and that led to a dangerous situation for Dagenham.
Danny Ings – 7
The 31-year-old is actually showing what he’s capable of in a system that allows him to get on the ball, rather than forces him to run the channels aimlessly. Ings will be out of contract next summer, so it will be interesting to see whether he’s able to impress Lopetegui this season, and earn a new deal at the London Stadium.
Then three more players came on around the 61st minute mark…
Ollie Scarles – 6
The talented teen was very rusty indeed when he came on. We all know how much talent he has, and he showcased impressive physical attributes this afternoon. However, he has so much more to give, and I’m sure we’ll see that over the next few years.
Patrick Kelly – 5
A fairly anonymous display once again today, and a very similar performance to the one he put in on Monday. Kelly has a lot of work to do if he is to force his way into the Hammers first-team anytime soon.
Mohammed Kudus – 8
The Ghanaian showed real strength and quality in possession when he came on. He embarked on a magnificent run in the 80th minute, beating three Dagenham players before whipping a dangerous ball into the box. The 23-year-old was on another level out there today. However, he’s clearly nowhere near his best just yet physically, and there is so much more still to come from him.
Lopetegui certainly used the entirety of his squad this afternoon, and on the whole, it was a really worthwhile exercise.
The West Ham players ratings were a real mixed bag of good, bad and average. Let’s hope the boys really kick on now over the next few weeks.
