West Ham United drew 1-1 with Fulham this afternoon, and there were plenty of players who were well below the required standard.
However, Tony Gale picked out one player in particular for criticism that might just surprise you.
In all fairness, West Ham were very lucky to pick up a point away at Fulham today, even the most ardent of Hammers fans will surely agree.
Julen Lopetegui named a truly baffling starting XI, and nigh on every single West Ham fan was proved right at half-time when the gaffer made two changes.
Off came the awful Michail Antonio and Tomas Soucek, and on came Lucas Paqueta and Crysencio Summerville.
That’s exactly how Lopetegui should have lined up to begin with. Hopefully he’s learnt his lesson.
There were quite a few concerning performances on display at Craven Cottage this afternoon, but one player who Gale criticised might just surprise a few people.
Tony Gale says one West Ham summer signing looked unfit vs Fulham
The former West Ham centre-back was on co-commentary duty at Craven Cottage this afternoon.
Gale always tells it how it is when it comes to his former club, and this afternoon was no different.
When asked by his co commentator Andy Bishop what he thinks of summer signing Guido Rodriguez, Gale’s response was surprising to say the least.
The former Hammers and Fulham centre-back said, “He’s been ok but from what I’ve seen so far he looks a little bit unfit.“
That really is a little harsh if you ask me.
Rodriguez hasn’t been great for the Hammers just yet, but he certainly hasn’t been bad either.
Guido Rodriguez needs time to settle in at West Ham
I have no doubts whatsoever that the 30-year-old will become an absolutely vital player for the Hammers.
He needs plenty of patience and time to settle into life in the Premier League, and Lopetegui’s tactics of course.
Rodriguez is a tenacious tackler who excels when breaking up play in the middle of the park – something that is crucial in the Premier League.
For Betis last season in 24 La Liga outings, he averaged 2.2 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per game.
During those appearances he made 43 passes per game on average and recorded a completion rate of 85.9% (Who Scored).
He will come good for West Ham, I have absolutely no doubts about that.
I actually thought he was decent during our draw with Fulham today. Was the criticism from Tony Gale harsh? I believe it was, yes.
