Should West Ham United keep playing like they have done in the first half of a drab FA Cup fourth-round encounter at Burton Albion, well, Glenn Hoddle can see another Macclesfield situation developing in Staffordshire.
Brews boss Gary Bowyer implored his Burton team to follow Macclesfield’s lead when they welcomed the Premier League outfit at the Pirelli Stadium.
The non-league Stags knocked out FA Cup holders Crystal Palace in round three. This would not be quite at the same level in terms of a classic cup banana skin – never had a team so low down the pyramid defeated a side so many places above them – but talk about crashing back down to earth with a bump.
A very good omen for Burton… 🏆 🍻
What message do you have for Nuno ahead of the FA Cup 4th round?
West Ham United travelled to Burton with a renewed sense of self-confidence. You’d never have guessed, considering that it took 20 minutes for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to manage a touch in the Brewers penalty area, and 38 minutes for Callum Wilson to engineer their first shot on goal.
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Glenn Hoddle thinks Nuno Espirito Santo may regret making so many West Ham United changes
Speaking on TNT Sports, former England manager Glenn Hoddle feels that Nuno may regret making so many changes to his XI.
Youngsters Mohamadou Kante and Keiber Lamadrid made first starts but struggled to get involved as Burton packed the midfield and restricted the space.
Adama Traore was poor and predictable down the right, Soungoutou Magassa failed to dictate proceedings, and the Hammers were frequently so short of ideas that they resorted to chucking hopeful long balls down the channels.
“West Ham have to shake themselves out of this,” said Hoddle. “They are playing very, very passive. The only get out ball is a three v three, one over the top, [hoping] Traore might get in with his pace. Other than, that they’ve got to improve
“[Until Wilson’s tame 38th minute effort] there has been nothing even close to getting a shot on target or an attempt on goal. It’s been very, very passive. It’s a passive performance from West Ham.
“I’m pretty sure Nuno wants to get them down the tunnel and give them a kick up the backside and say, ‘This is the FA Cup guys, we’ve got to play better than this.’
“You’ve got to say, West Ham have been poor. They’ve got to improve. If not, they could go out today.”
Mohamadou Kante and Keiber Lamadrid have been on the periphery
Starts for Lamadrid and Kante!
Who are you most excited to see today?
Hoddle wonders if Nuno will regret shaking up his team to such a dramatic extent. The likes of Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek are not even on the bench, although the manager does have Crysencio Summerville, Taty Castellanos and El Hadji Malick Diouf to call upon.
“I think it’s a bit of a risk to have so many changes,” says Hoddle, who also coached Chelsea, Tottenham, Southampton and Wolves. “I thought they’d have a few, but I thought they would want that rhythm of keeping winning football matches. It’s a bit disjointed; this team has never played together before.”
“It has got that vibe [of Macclesfield stunning Crystal Palace]. I’ve got to say, Burton have been impressive. The midfield are smothering and they are prepared to go man-for-man at the back. West Ham have found it very difficult to get through the pitch.
“Kante and Lamadrid can’t really get in the game, the midfield are smothering that area.”
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