Ollie Scarles will not look back on West Ham United’s first-half performance against Manchester City with any fondness, though Nuno Espirito Santo must take his share of the blame.
At least, that is the view of former Hammers midfielder Don Hutchison.
The Scot saw his old employers given the runaround by a dominant Man City side during a one-sided opening 45 minutes at the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland – who else? – fired the hosts into a fifth minute lead. Tijjani Reijnders added a second in the 38th, meaning Nuno Espirito Santo may have to work miracles at the interval if West Ham United are to turn a stroll into a competitive encounter.
And on a day when left-back Ollie Scarles started a Premier League match for the first time since October, the club’s Young Player of the Year suffered a torturous first-half up against the magnetic, mercurial Rayan Cherki.
Though Hutchison cannot help feel that Scarles was hung out to dry somewhat, not only by Lucas Paqueta and Crysencio Summerville but also by his manager.
An AWFUL first-half at the Etihad! 😞
What do you want to see Nuno change in the second-half?
Don Hutchison highlights West Ham United’s Ollie Scarles problem at Manchester City
Time and again, Cherki picked up the ball in acres of space down the flank. Scarles, all on his lonesome, had no answer to the former Lyon playmaker.
“There is loads of space for Cherki on that right-hand side. Scarles has gone very narrow. He’s obviously been told [to do that] by Nuno,” Hutchison told Premier One Hub.
“He played against Bukayo Saka [on his Premier League debut for the Hammers] and was arguably the Man of the Match, but he needs help now. Whether it’s from Summerville, Paqueta, or [Mateus] Fernandes, someone has got to get out there and give him a hand.
“They are not closing down, they are not getting tight enough to City. Summerville is very, very narrow when City have the ball.
“Something has to happen tactically from the manager at half-time because they are getting completely exposed time and time again.
Hutchison, who had two spells at Upton Park between 1994 and 2005, believes an older player may have had some rather harsh words for his more experienced teammates.
“When you’re a youngster like Ollie Scarles, you haven’t got the bravery yet to have a go at Paqueta or Summerville and say, ‘Come help me, don’t leave me one-on-one’,” Hutchison feels. “That’s the conversation you have when you’ve got a bit more experience under your belt.”
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Hutchison would like to see Callum Wilson enter proceedings at the earliest possibility. Maybe Tomas Soucek too, in order to free up an anonymous Jarrod Bowen and give West Ham some semblance of an outlet.
“Jarrod Bowen is having to work miracles when he gets the ball on the halfway line with so many players around him. West Ham have got to find a bit of life in this game. Everyone is at walking pace,” adds the former Liverpool and Everton man.
“If you’re going to play that way, you have to be aggressive. Summerville, Paqueta, and Bowen are all out of the game. They are effectively three players light! When I look at that front three, if City can shift the ball quickly, they take those three right out of the game.
“I think it’s inevitable City are going to score more goals down their right-hand side,” he said before they did exactly that through Reijnders.
“[But City] gave Leeds a chance when they were winning 2-0. They certainly gave Fulham a chance in that crazy 5-4 game. West Ham have got to go for it. Pin them back, be a bit braver, and go and chase Manchester City down.
“You might get a lucky break and get your top men involved further up the pitch.
“I still think Jarrod Bowen’s best position is wide on that right-hand side. He’s not a natural number nine.
Callum Wilson is the obvious choice if you can get 45 minutes out of him.
“But if you chase the game against City, you could get done for four or five. At what point do you become adventurous? You could go a bit longer if Tomas Soucek comes off the bench.”
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