West Ham suffered a humbling defeat in the League Cup, falling 5-1 to Premier League title contenders Liverpool in a match that underscored the vast gulf in class between the top teams and the Hammers.
After a summer of major transfer investment, West Ham would have liked to see a better return in the early going under new manager Julen Lopetegui, who has been backed to the gills financially in comparison to some of his predecessors.
Lopetegui comes to West Ham with a mixed track record, having disappointed for Wolves and Real Madrid while shining in between those posts as Sevilla’s manager.
West Ham aren’t going to fire Lopetegui any time soon, but with the club sitting 14th in the Premier League table, the Hammers are going to begin to put a little more pressure on the Spanish coach to get results with this talented squad.
Here is a look at the best possible starting XI Lopetegui needs to use to ensure West Ham maximize their chances of victory.
Defense: GK Alphonse Areola, LB Emerson Palmieri, CB Max Kilman, CB Jean-Clair Todibo, RB Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Having watched Konstantinos Mavropanos over the years, I refuse to believe he is some schlub who can’t play defense, but I do think that his overly aggressive nature suits the Bundesliga much better than it does the Premier League.
Therefore, if the comparison is between Jean-Clair Todibo and Mavropanos, I would take Todibo between the two, because, in Ligue 1, he showed that he can be a disciplined, intelligent defender who is great on the ball and doesn’t take miscalculated gambles out of defense.
Midfield: DM Guido Rodriguez, AM Lucas Paqueta, AM Carlos Soler
Tomas Soucek is still a serviceable player, but at this stage of his career, he offers so little going forward with his passing that you cannot justify starting him in the modern game unless you are a team with no attacking firepower whose goal is to sit back in low blocks and avoid relegation.
West Ham have graduated beyond that line of thinking. They have so much attacking talent that they need to just go for it and play with two attacking midfielders, especially since those two attacking midfielders, Carlos Soler and Lucas Paqueta, are willing and capable ball-winners.
Attack: LW Crysencio Summerville, RW Jarrod Bowen, ST Mohammed Kudus
Again, I am a believer in getting your most talented players on the pitch and watching them go to work. West Ham absolutely have to get these three players in the starting lineup, because they are miles above the other options in terms of upside.
I mean, you’d have to be the most deluded “nostalgia merchant” to put Michail Antonio anywhere near Mohammed Kudus’ bracket, and anyone who has watched Kudus or Niclas Fullkrug technically will understand that Kudus has a lot more to offer West Ham, especially long-term.
Finally, I don’t really need to go into much detail about Jarrod Bowen. If we are purely talking about production over the last two Premier League seasons, Bowen is West Ham’s best overall player. He always has a spot in the XI, especially on that right wing.
