Whatever may or may not happen in respect of bringing a loan striker into London Stadium this January, Graham Potter’s West Ham are facing issues every bit as challenging in every area of the pitch: Goalkeeper, Centre back, Midfield and Attack need urgent rebuilding and there simply aren’t the resources after last summer’s £140 million splurge.
With just three fit centre backs, Potter has to live with his predecessor’s daft decisions to send players out on loan: Aguerd might not have bene the best but he was better than – nothing.
With Todibo injured, West Ham have had to call on the pairing of Kilman and Mavropanos to start. Watching Mavropanos collect his second yellow card and his marching orders, Rob Green, former Hammers goal keeper, said on live TV that the Greek was “reckless, dangerous…[he] has a mistake in him every game. It was a ball he was never going to win.”
The first card was just as bad, getting nutmegged and then hauling down his opponent in a clumsy amateurish challenge.
As Roshane Thomas writing in nytimes.com/athletic observes today:
“Since joining from Stuttgart for £19million in August 2023, Mavropanos’s decision-making has remained a weakness. Against Palace he was deputising for the injured Jean-Clair Todibo, but he has not shown himself capable of being a first-choice defender at this level.”
This has played out again and again this season as Mavropanos has struggled, week in week out. Trouble is, there is no real alternative just at present. West Ham have to dig deep now that ‘Mav’ is suspended and find a solution either using Alvarez or 20 year old Kaelan Casey in Mavropanos’ place.
I’d like to think that Mavropanos’ constant error strewn performances would see him benched for the duration. Without an absolutely massive game from Kaelan Casey against Aston Villa (I can but hope), we’re likely to see the Greek back the following week, errors and all.