Much of West Ham United’s starting XI almost picks itself these days, especially with Lucas Paqueta absent once again from Saturday’s 3-1 Premier League triumph over Sunderland.
The strange tactical choices which marred Nuno Espirito Santo’s first few weeks at the helm have thankfully gone by the wayside.
And when the team news filtered through at a quarter-to-two yesterday afternoon – West Ham would storm past Sunderland with arguably their best performance of the Nuno era – it was an XI one suspects the vast majority of supporters largely agreed with.
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Nuno was without Lucas Paqueta for a third-straight match. Pablo and Taty Castellanos have nailed down their spots on the team sheet during the Brazilian’s absence, though.
Nuno will have a dilemma next time out at Chelsea – Malick Diouf is back from AFCON but Ollie Scarles has been outstanding in recent weeks – though debates surrounding a number of other key areas may now have been settled.
Konstantinos Mavropanos simply had to start over Max Kilman against a physical Sunderland outfit, and start he did. And whenever people start to doubt Tomas Soucek’s longevity, the long-serving Czech Republic international tends to step up to the plate.
He has done so again this month.
Nuno Espirito Santo hails Tomas Soucek after West Ham United 3-1 Sunderland
Freddie Potts was arguably the driving force behind those victories over Newcastle and Burnley in November.
Two months later, as West Ham recorded successive top-flight wins again, Potts was restricted to only 15 minutes of football.
For all of his youthful exuberance, Nuno opted for the physicality, experience and discipline of old man Soucek against Tottenham and Sunderland. While not a natural holding midfielder, the 30-year-old’s towering presence has coincided with perhaps Mateus Fernandes’ most complete performances in a West Ham shirt.
“You have to take a risk sometimes and I’m pleased, for Matty,” Nuno said after watching Fernandes thump a long-range strike past a helpless Robin Roefs in the Black Cats goal.
“I think he did a very good game. It was a very good game from him and Tomas in the middle of the park. They really, really worked hard to contain Sunderland and, offensively, it pleases me a lot that we’re creating chances. We’re creating combinations.
“The players are starting to realise what they need from each other. It’s starting to click.”
Better late than never, of course.
Nuno wants more attacking thrust as Crysencio Summerville scores again
Recording four clearances, the second-most of any Hammer behind Mavropanos, Soucek’s giant frame is often invaluable from set-piece situations. As talented and likeable as Potts may be, the extra four inches Soucek brings to the field go a long way to protecting a very well-publicised Achilles heel.
Soucek also won the second highest number of aerial duels. Again, behind the imperious Mavropanos.
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And though he remains the club’s biggest threat in the opposition box when crosses come in, it was Crysencio Summerville who opened the scoring against Sunderland. A rare headed goal from a man who had only ever scored one before in English football, coming at Leeds in 2023.
“It’s important for our forward players to get confidence by scoring,” Nuno said, perhaps providing another explanation as to why Soucek has leapfrogged Potts.
“But the important part is that we are getting bodies in the box, creating trouble to our opponents. Asking them questions, how to solve our combinations.
“But there’s still a lot of improvement to be made.
“You know that football is [in] the present,” adds the head coach. “What we did today was great. Let’s have a good weekend and prepare for the next one. It’s going to be very tough [at Chelsea], but we’re going to put up a fight.
“In the first half [vs Sunderland], we started really well. The momentum, the energy that the boys put in, the connections, the combinations. We scored, we had good spells of football [and were] dominant in terms of defence.
“And it was a big improvement in the second-half in terms of managing the game, managing the tempo of the game. We didn’t allow too many situations. They scored [Brian Brobbey pulled one back just after the hour mark] but didn’t go crazy.
“We kept the shape, kept organised. And in the second half, [we drew strength from] the support of the fans, realising that we were in trouble, that we needed energy. When we give, they give back 1,000 times more.
“So overall, it was a very good performance.”
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