West Ham head to Fulham on Saturday and Julen Lopetegui may need some pain relief for a splitting headache caused by six stars.
West Ham against Fulham can be a funny fixture when it comes to London derbies.
Last season Fulham did the double over the Hammers, battering them 5-0 in the game at Craven Cottage.
Overall, though, it is West Ham who emerge victorious from this match-up more often than not.
The two clubs have played one another 109 times in competitive matches since 1898 with West Ham winning 51 of them and Fulham 34.
There’s a subplot to the game in that before appointing Julen Lopetegui to succeed David Moyes, West Ham were heavily linked with Fulham boss Marco Silva.
Hammers majority owner David Sullivan is a big fan of the Portuguese.
But a reported £13m release clause put paid to any prospect of West Ham luring Silva to east London.
Lopetegui was appointed instead and he has been backed with £155m worth of signings.
That’s presuming £30m Jean-Clair Todibo’s loan becomes permanent given the obligation clause activates after just five Premier League starts.
Six West Ham stars give Lopetegui a headache for Fulham
West Ham will be favourites to win the game given their excellent summer window added to some already top talent.
Lopetegui has made it clear he is aiming to compete for the European spots this season.
With West Ham’s squad that is a must.
So Fulham is a game the Irons will be looking to win.
Things are never plain sailing for the Hammers, though.
And the head coach has much to decide before the Premier League resumes this Saturday.
Six West Ham stars are giving Lopetegui a splitting headache for the Fulham clash.
The Spaniard is facing a minefield of big calls ahead of the match, especially since injury ruled out new striker Niclas Fullkrug.
Here are the six West Ham stars giving Lopetegui sleepless nights over his team selection.
1) Tomas Soucek
Many believed Tomas Soucek would be the obvious casualty of Lopetegui’s appointment. So there has been much surprise at the big Czech being a central figure in the first few games of his tenure.
Soucek has contributed by winning a penalty against Aston Villa, scoring at Palace and putting up impressive defensive and offensive statistics so far.
James Ward-Prowse has been shipped out but the arrival of Carlos Soler and Guido Rodriguez to add to Lucas Paqueta and Soucek means a tough fight to retain a starting place. Soucek was dropped for the Man City clash last time out as West Ham lost 3-1.
He’s given Lopetegui a problem, though. Because he scored what turned out to be the winner and was a contender for man of the match as Czech Republic beat Ukraine in midweek.
It means Soucek now has 22 goals and assists for club and country since the start of last season. Much better stats than many of those he’s up against for a place in the team. Especially when you throw in the contribution he makes defensively too. Lopetegui must decide whether to bring him back into the side.
2) Konstantinos Mavropanos
There have been calls for new boy Todibo to get his first Premier League start for West Ham at Fulham.
And it is the big Greek centre-back who would make way.
The problem is Konstantinos Mavropanos has been pretty impressive so far this season. Although he’s not been perfect by any stretch, it would be extremely harsh were Mavropanos to be dropped.
And he further underlined his quality during the international break to pile the pressure on Lopetegui’s big call this weekend.
Mavropanos was a key figure as Greece beat Finland 3-0 and Republic of Ireland 2-0.
Now Lopetegui must decide whether he stays in the team alongside Max Kilman or whether Todibo – who has had two weeks to catch up on fitness at Rush Green – comes in for the first of five starts needed to trigger his permanent move.
A very tough call indeed.
3) Lucas Paqueta
How do you solve a problem like Lucas Paqueta? The West Ham playmaker has been out of form since the turn of the year.
Paqueta was terrible against Man City, gifting the opposition a goal and carelessly surrendering possession in dangerous positions.
With just nine goals and nine assists since joining West Ham for a record £51m, and on £150k per week, questions are starting to be asked about his contribution to the team.
There have been calls for Paqueta to be dropped to enable Mohammed Kudus to play more centrally. With Rodriguez starting so well, Alvarez to fit into the team and Soler added to the mix, Paqueta is feeling the heat. To make matters worse he was poor for Brazil in defeat to Paraguay too, subbed off with the Selecao chasing the game.
It would be a brave call from Lopetegui to drop Paqueta. But he must do what is right for the team.
4) Crysencio Summerville
West Ham fans have already been banging the drum for Crysencio Summerville to get a start in the Premier League.
The Dutchman has looked sharp and a real threat in cameos off the bench against Villa and Man City – almost scoring in both and causing the opposition problems.
With Fullkrug out of the game, does Lopetegui bring Summerville in on the left, switch Kudus to the right and put Jarrod Bowen up front?
That’s what many Hammers fans want to see at Fulham. It certainly looks exciting on paper.
Summerville has piled the pressure on Lopetegui with a stunning performance in training ahead of the game.
5) Michail Antonio
Despite poor performances, Michail Antonio has been named as West Ham’s starting striker in each Premier League game so far under Lopetegui.
Much to the frustration of Fullkrug – who spoke out about it after game one – and many West Ham fans.
Antonio was particularly poor against Man City, though, hence calls for Lopetegui to go with Bowen up front after Fullkrug’s injury lay-off.
Antonio also scored in midweek, a penalty against Honduras for Jamaica.
But after a 12,000 mile round trip and with only three days between the Honduras match and Fulham, it gives Lopetegui a major decision to make.
West Ham would usually avoid playing Antonio in games too close together due to his history of hamstring injuries.
But the Fullkrug issue means Lopetegui may have little choice. This will be a big call from the manager and a risky one if he does indeed start Antonio again.
6) Danny Ings
As fans call for Bowen to start at Fulham, it effectively makes Danny Ings fourth choice striker in their eyes.
But Fullkrug’s injury, Antonio’s poor form and the fact the game comes so soon after his last means Ings could be in line for a shock start at Fulham.
That would undoubtedly be a controversial call from Lopetegui.
Ings has looked sharp in training and scored a hat-trick in a behind-closed-doors friendly over the break – albeit against Dagenham and Redbridge.
While starting Ings would anger fans, by the same token Lopetegui has publicly pledged to give all his players the chance to impress.
Now we will find out what he really thinks of Ings by the decision he makes this weekend.
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