An eventful night of international action will undoubtedly leave West Ham boss David Moyes with very mixed feelings today.
Several West Ham players and one notable former Hammer were in action while other members of Moyes’s squad were not.
Let’s look at the positives first in what was an eventful international night that will leave West Ham boss Moyes with mixed feelings no doubt.
Eventful international night will leave West Ham boss David Moyes with very mixed feelings
First off it was great to see Super Tomas Soucek looking back to his best for Czech Republic as they drew 1-1 with Wales.
West Ham’s much-loved star once again captained the Czechs following their bitter disappointment at losing the Qatar World Cup play-off last week.
Soucek has slowly but surely been rediscovering something like his best form after a season of adjustment at West Ham to compensate for midfield partner Declan Rice’s rampaging new role.
He scored that all-important goal to get West Ham level in their Europa League last 16 victory over Sevilla. And he was on the scoresheet again, this time for his country, with a beautiful half-volley finish from the edge of the box against Wales.
Moyes will no doubt have watched the game where he would also have been scouting reported summer transfer target Brennan Johnson. The Nottingham Forest forward played well and notched an assist for Wales’s equaliser.
At Wembley West Ham star Declan Rice once again underlined his status as one of the best midfielders around with a superb all-round display.
Rice completely dominated Barcelona-bound AC Milan midfield star Franck Kessie – the man Moyes allegedly wanted to sign to partner Rice and Soucek at West Ham – in England’s 3-0 win over 10-man Ivory Coast.
That game featured West Ham’s all-time record signing, £45m Sebastien Haller. The big forward has been leaving Moyes somewhat red-faced all season with his scoring exploits for Ajax in the Champions League.
But there was some vindication for Moyes last night as everyone got to see the real Haller who frustrated and divided West Ham fans so much during his time in east London.
In fairness to Haller, Ivory Coast faced an uphill battle after Serge Aurier’s sending off. But Haller offered absolutely nothing up front and commentator Alan Smith noted that he ‘looked like the Haller we all saw at West Ham’.
Another positive from a selfish point of view for Moyes and West Ham was the lack of involvement in the internationals for Pablo Fornals an Michail Antonio.
Both players badly needed a rest and Antonio would have played two games already by now for Jamaica with a third to come tomorrow before West Ham’s crucial Sunday-Thursday matches against Everton and Lyon. Not to mention the 15,000 air miles he would have undertaken too.
Fornals has been everywhere for West Ham of late and he too needed a rest which he got by virtue of not being called up for Spain.
Ben Johnson made his first start for England Under 21s – at left-back – and played the entire 90 minutes in a 3-0 win over Albania.
And that is where Moyes may also have mixed feelings regarding his internationals.
Rice and Soucek would not be far behind Antonio in terms of the West Ham players most in need of a rest ahead of the big season run in for the Hammers.
But Moyes will have watched on as both his key central midfielders played the full 90 minutes in friendly matches wondering whether it was really necessary.
Johnson’s situation is slightly different as the England Under 21 game was a crucial qualifier.
The positive regarding Rice and Soucek is that they were in London and Cardiff respectively so there was not much travelling for either.
That was not the case for another key West Ham star in Manuel Lanzini, though.
He was called up for the latest Argentina squad by former Hammer Lionel Scaloni but was an unused sub for both games – a 3-0 win over Venezuela and 1-1 draw with Ecuador overnight.
On one hand Moyes may be grateful Lanzini had a rest. On the other the Scot will be mindful that Lanzini has just had to travel over 19,000 miles for what amounted to nothing more than a training camp for his influential playmaker.
Elsewhere Nikola Vlasic started in Croatia’s 2-1 friendly win over Bulgaria and was substituted. He was on the bench and came on in the 1-1 draw with Slovenia at the weekend.
Alphonse Areola was an unused sub in France’s wins over Ivory Coast and South Africa.
Let’s hope all the players get back to Rush Green in good shape and ready for another huge week with West Ham.
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