It’s that time of the week when we shift our focus from the recriminations following West Ham’s 4-1 loss to Tottenham and look ahead to the weekend’s fixture against Manchester United.
While it would be an exaggeration to call Sunday’s Premier League game a “must-win” for Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui, a victory would certainly help his cause.
The Spaniard will have to make a few enforced changes to his team, but the decision he faces in central midfield is probably his most difficult.
In my opinion, Mexican birthday boy Edson Álvarez needs to return to the centre of the pitch, which raises the question: who will he replace?
Guido Rodríguez enjoyed possibly his best half of football since joining West Ham on a free transfer this summer. However, he was exposed in the second half against Tottenham when Lopetegui instructed the team to press more, and Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou made a tactical tweak in midfield.
Unfortunately, Tomáš Souček’s worst attacking performance of the season also occurred in the same game, leaving the Hammers boss with something of a selection conundrum.
Personally, I would select the big Czech to play alongside Álvarez, but had the summer transfer window worked out differently, I might have pushed for the inclusion of either James Ward-Prowse or Flynn Downes.
