West Ham United‘s opening day defeat to Aston Villa has exposed some of the challenges facing the club this season. While the potential of the squad is undeniable, the team’s performance highlighted areas for improvement.
The defensive frailties evident in the match are a concern, particularly the vulnerability on the right-hand side. The midfield battle was also lost, with Villa dominating possession and creating numerous chances.
Soucek and Paqueta are not a very dynamic midfield combination, and unless we can compete more consistently in the midfield battles Villa showed that we will be over run by good teams. In that respect nothing has changed from last season.
However, there were glimpses of promise, with Kudus showcasing his talent and Killman putting in a solid defensive performance. But Paqueta’s petulance is still something of concern. He always seems to put himself one yellow away from being sent off and he really needs to to stop it or it could cost us.
But consider the 52% possession (compare that to last season!) and some real endeavour on display are still reasons to be positive about the football we can look forward to, but there is no doubt this is a work in progress this season
Ultimately, this is just one game, and there is plenty of time for the Irons to improve. The team’s ability to learn from this defeat and make necessary adjustments will be crucial for their success this season.
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