The dreaded ‘Moyes-ball’ system could be back at West Ham United before we know it, if Carlos Soler doesn’t come good for us.
Julen Lopetegui replaced David Moyes at West Ham earlier this summer, but it has been a stuttering start for the Spaniard at the London Stadium.
Lopetegui brought nine new signings to West Ham in the summer transfer window – Carlos Soler being one of them.
Former Hammer Pablo Fornals played a key role in Carlos Soler joining West Ham on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
The 27-year-old is a very highly-rated player on the continent, but it remains to be seen whether he has the skillset needed to thrive in the Premier League.
Lopetegui had better hope that Soler comes good very quickly indeed, and so had the Hammers fans who wanted Moyes gone so badly.
West Ham need Carlos Soler to come good quickly
Lopetegui came into the London Stadium to build on what Moyes had achieved.
Let’s not forget, whatever you say about Moyes, he brought real success to West Ham, guiding us to our first major trophy since 1980.
However, the style of football was painful to watch in the end, hence the board’s decision to part ways with the Scot.
Lopetegui came in with promises of implementing a more possession-based playing style.
The Hammers fans were also crying out for our team to start games with more attacking intent.
However, neither of those things have actually come to fruition just yet.
It has been hard to pick any positives out of the football on display so far, but it’s still early days of course.
However, Soler could be the key to unlocking everything.
Carlos Soler the key for West Ham
The Spaniard is one of just two players we have who can play in central midfield who’s good on the ball, and possesses the guile and creativity needed to unlock opposing defences.
Lucas Paqueta is obviously the other one, but he’s too frivolous in possession for my liking.
He also takes too many touches in the middle of the park and slows us down massively.
This is where Carlos Soler needs to step up for West Ham. I believe he’s good enough to come into the side and offer us something different.
More importantly though, I think he could be crucial to Lopetegui implementing the style of play he wants to.
However, if he’s not up to the levels required for Premier League football, Lopetegui and the Hammers could be in big trouble.
The Spaniard may well have to revert back to the system David Moyes used at West Ham last season, with a deep-block and the intent to counter attack the opposition wherever possible.
The next few games will tell us a lot about where we stand as a team. Let’s hope that we move in the right direction.
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