Struggling West Ham defender surprisingly shines in international duty. West Ham made a bevy of offseason investments to upgrade their defense, midfield, and attack in order to set up incoming manager Julen Lopetegui for success after replacing David Moyes.
But instead of coming out of the gates firing on all cylinders, West Ham have predictably been experiencing an adjustment period with tough results, amounting to a 12th-placed finish so far at the October international fixtures.
The Hammers have shown recent signs of life with a 4-1 blowout win over newly-promoted Ipswich, and they are at least ahead of fellow European football competitors Manchester United, who made even more significant summer signings
Funnily enough, West Ham’s most successful summer transfer to this point came from Manchester United, as right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka has looked more like the man who set the Premier League alight a few years back at Crystal Palace.
His backup, however, has struggled in four appearances and two starts this season, as veteran Vladimir Coufal has looked legitimately past it, his play falling off a cliff even defensively as the ugliness of his decline in athleticism is beginning to set in.
But for at least one game in the Nations League, Coufal looked like a top right back again, shining, out of all things, offensively in the Czech Republic’s commanding 2-0 win over Albania.
Coufal had the best performance of any right back in the Nations League for Round 3, per Sofascore, as he recorded an assist with three key passes and four fouls drawn. He also had two tackles and two interceptions defensively.
That performance was an important sign of life from the 32-year-old defender, as Coufal is a key backup at right back for West Ham this season, even if AWB is very obviously preferred as a starter.
Hopefully, this display is a sign that Coufal can still offer West Ham something this season, because with two starts already, he will have to be counted on a few more times by theHammers in 2024/25.
