And finally.. the longest international break seems to be behind us as players start to head back to Rush Green. A sell out-game under the lights at London Stadium awaits on Friday as the Hammers go head to head with sixth placed QPR, just two points behind the Irons and very much looking up the table.
Most of West Ham’s squad of course has benefitted from time off, intense training and a practise game behind closed doors. Unlike the international brigade, who’ve been asked to fit four games into a twelve day period in something of an added, unwanted test of physical endurance amidst the Championship slogfest.
None more so than Dinos Mavropanos.
The Greek superman completed all four of his countries’ ties last night with another ‘heroic’ performance against Germany, resulting in a hard-won point for his national side and a total of 384 minutes – just twelve minutes respite as he was subbed off at the 78 minute mark and now heads back to West Ham surely absolutely cream crackered.
Mavropanos’ huge workload means Nuno has a difficult call for Friday night
Nuno has to judge whether to bench the Greek for Friday’s key fixture, with so many games now coming close together -eighteen before the end of the year – and Dinos surely in need of a couple of days off at least ahead of the Championship clash.
The problem being West Ham’s resources are such that Airidas Golambeckis at just eighteen years old is Mavropanos’ sole understudy.
The teenager has already shown he’s more than capable of stepping up with a mature performance in the Carabao cup – but Fridays’ team selection will be a huge call for Nuno who has to listen to his medical team and try to take the long view.
For us, frankly, it will just be a huge relief to have ‘news’ to report come Friday when the team is announced, after a pretty barren three week break from domestic footy.