Whilst Summerville may have taken the plaudits and Wan Bissaka the ‘ball player’ impressed, one West Ham United squad member, restored to the starting eleven, had a quiet-for him- yet effective game, making his contribution on the pitch instead of in the headlines.
Recently hitting the lows of being booked for fighting whilst on international duty, red carded in the Carling Cup and accused of making threats to kill during West Ham’s game against Chelsea, it was a welcome relief yesterday to see Edson Alvarez go about his work without drama or indeed, without succumbing to a ill disciplined yellow card.
Too early to say, but perhaps Lopetegui’s management of the hot-headed Mexican might be paying off: Banishing him to the bench for the Spurs fixture might have focused his mind.
Far better discipline this week: Edson Alvarez
BBC Sport Pundit Troy Deeney went so far as to include the Hammers’ midfielder in his team of the week: Describing Alvarez’ performance as “combative and did everything simple and well,” the former Watford striker gave credit to El Machin for being back to his best without the rushes of blood which had blighted his recent performances.
Understated, actually, was the work he and half time substitute Tomas Soucek put in midfield. 100% contrast from the first half and a huge upgrade on what had been on display for the first 45 minutes. ‘El Machin’ and ‘Tornado’ Tom looked effective and lively in reducing the exposure of the back four. Look forward to seeing them both start against Nottingham Forest who, ironically, will probably carry more goal threat than the visitors did yesterday.
