West Ham have been rocked by a major new blow which will see them without key star Edson Alvarez for three big games.
There was one huge down side to West Ham’s record 5-0 European win over Freiburg.
And that was losing fundamental midfield star Edson Alvarez to a one-game UEFA ban.
The Mexican’s booking in that romp means he is suspended for the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen.
That will be the tough examination away in Germany when Alvarez is needed most.
Major new suspension blow for West Ham
David Moyes was criticised by some West Ham fans for failing to take Alvarez off in the Freiburg rout.
The manager elected to leave him on and he picked up that potentially damaging yellow card and one-game suspension.
Now absolutely key star Alvarez will miss 3 of West Ham’s next 4 games after a new ban blow.
Players are suspended for one game if they receive five yellow cards inside the first 19 games of the Premier League season.
If 10 yellow cards are picked up before/including the 32nd game of the season, a player will be banned for two further matches.
Alvarez to miss 3 of next 4 games
Alvarez went into West Ham’s game against Aston Villa on nine Prem bookings.
And he duly picked up yet another yellow in the 1-1 draw.
That means Alvarez now misses vital games against Newcastle and bitter rivals Spurs after the international break.
El Machin will be available for Wolves but is then suspended again for the first leg in Leverkusen.
After Villa, the manager admitted it will have an impact on his side.
Moyes admits ban will have big effect on Hammers
“We’ve got some really big games coming up and unfortunately we’ve got some suspensions coming up, which are going to have an effect on us,” Moyes told the official site.
This presents West Ham with a major issue for such a crucial period.
The matches against Newcastle and Spurs will be extremely tough. And Alvarez is essential to this West Ham team.
Without him the Hammers have been brutally exposed at times this season.
So Moyes and his staff must start working on a new-look system ready for his prolonged absence.
What a nightmare.
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