One West Ham star has been brutally highlighted as not being up to Premier League standards by Match of the Day pundits.
There is a growing feeling that Julen Lopetegui got away with one in West Ham’s win over Man United.
The Hammers went into the game with their head coach under huge pressure.
Lopetegui had only overseen two Premier League victories in eight before the welcome 2-1 triumph over the Red Devils.
The result buys Lopetegui some time yet but it cost Erik ten Hag his job.
As a result West Ham continue to be the Premier League’s Grim Reaper.
West Ham fans are realistic enough to accept the win was a touch lucky to say the least.
Man United should have been 3-0 up by half-time and the penalty was very questionable.
Even if the Hammers are owed one after years of decisions going against them in this fixture – both before and since the introduction of VAR.
The first half performance continued a worrying theme at West Ham under Lopetegui.
The team just looks far too open and easy to play through and get shots off on goal against.
Debate has raged as to why that is.
Ultimately the manager carries the can. And to Lopetegui’s credit he made the changes needed at the break to spark a much-improved performance.
Micah Richards and co believe they have identified the team’s biggest problem – Edson Alvarez.
Because the immobile West Ham star is not up to Premier League standards say brutal MOTD pundits.
Immobile West Ham star not up to it in Premier League say MOTD
Analysing West Ham’s victory, Richards, Stephen Warnock and host Jason Mohammad, labelled the Mexcian ‘heavy-legged’.
And they questioned whether he has the athleticism to be a central midfield force in the toughest league in the world.
“One of the players who suffered in the first half was Edson Alvarez,” Richards said on Match of the Day 2.
“And he struggled because of the pace of the game and Manchester United’s movement in midfield.
“He’s the wrong side of Bruno Fernandes (every time) and it’s a simple run from Bruno Fernandes (to get away from him each time). He doesn’t know where he is, loses him. Pass him on to the centre-back, give him information, if you can’t get there yourself.
“He gets away with it and then finds himself with Ajejandro Garnacho, again tracking back, again can’t quite get back into a position to put him under pressure.
“He’s just not athletically able to make that.”
Mohammad interjected to highlight that Alvarez looks ‘very heavy legged’.
Warnock and Richards agreed, adding: “Yes and he gets a little bit lost in positions at times. There are times he gets found high up the pitch and it’s very clear his job is to look after Bruno Fernandes.”
‘Heavy-legged’ Alvarez faces uncertain midfield future
Warnock highlighted that Alvarez dropped into a defensive role as a third centre-back, he was able to step onto the play and it suited him much better.
When Alvarez first arrived in east London from Ajax for £34.5m he quickly established himself as a fundamental player.
Many Hammers fans were left thinking ‘who needs Declan Rice’. That’s how good Alvarez looked in the first few months.
Like a number of West Ham’s better players, though, El Machin’s form dropped off a cliff at the turn of the year.
So much so he lost his place in the starting XI under David Moyes at the end of last season.
Moyes also criticised Alvarez saying he cannot last for 90 minutes in the Premier League.
Could it be that Alvarez has been very quickly found out as a central midfielder in the pacy, athletic Premier League after coming from the vastly inferior Dutch football?
Dropped and questioned by Moyes, dropped by Lopetegui and now being highlighted as West Ham’s big problem in midfield by pundits.
Alvarez certainly has been a big problem in many of the games, particularly the 3-0 and 5-1 defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.
Perhaps he can now only play as an auxiliary centre-back moving forwards?
It will be interesting to see how Lopetegui uses him now. Because it was clear for all to see he cannot keep up in the middle of the park.
Maybe that’s why Alvarez keeps talking up speculation of moves to other, less physically demanding leagues?
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