Julen Lopetegui dropped enormous Tomas Soucek hint in the 73rd minute against Aston Villa. West Ham United lost to Aston Villa yesterday, and Julen Lopetegui made it very clear what he thinks of Tomas Soucek in the second-half.
Yesterday was the first competitive game for West Ham with Julen Lopetegui at the helm, so patience will definitely be required. Tomas Soucek started the game against the Villans, much to the dismay of the Hammers fans inside the stadium.
It was claimed recently that Soucek could be open to leaving the Hammers during the final two weeks of the transfer window, if it becomes clear that he doesn’t have a key role to play under Lopetegui.
The fact that he started was a big sign that he’ll be a key squad member under Lopetegui, but the Spaniard made that even more clear in the second-half. I just find him an incredibly frustrating player to watch. He slows us down badly in transition and is painfully uncomfortable in possession of the football.
On the whole, we didn’t play too bad at times, but Soucek had a role to play in one of the big negatives on display yesterday.
There were some concerning signs, like how wide open we were in the middle of the park, especially when defending against transitions.
The 29-year-old midfielder definitely doesn’t help in moments when the opposition are hitting us on the counter attack and I think Lopetegui needs to bring in a big upgrade on him during the final two weeks of the window. However, it seems like that won’t be happening…
Julen Lopetegui dropped Tomas Soucek hint against Aston Villa
The Hammers could have easily won the game on another day, or at least taken a point away from the contest. Had Soucek not missed a sitter in the dying minutes of the match, the scores would have finished 2-2. Big improvements are needed all over the pitch next weekend away at Crystal Palace.
One thing that needs to happen in my opinion is for Soucek to drop down to the bench – he’s just not good enough to play in this team. However, Lopetegui has dropped a huge hint that that will not be happening. The Hammers head coach decided to tae off club captain Jarrod Bowen on the 73rd minute mark.
However, what happened next really surprised me.
Soucek was handed the captain’s armband, so I’m assuming that he is next in line for the captaincy after Aaron Cresswell? If that is indeed the case, then the Czech Republic international clearly isn’t going anywhere this summer.
I really think that’s a big mistake. Tomas Soucek was fine in a David Moyes team, but he just doesn’t fit the system deployed by Julen Lopetegui one little bit. If the Spaniard persists with the former Slavia Prague man in the middle of the park, it could veer well be his undoing.
