Lifting the Lid on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Numbers | West Ham 1 – 2 Charlton

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

West Ham’s 2-1 defeat against Charlton was one of those strange games where the statistics and the scoreline tell two completely different stories.

The Hammers dominated possession and created enough opportunities to win comfortably, but individual performances ranged from hugely encouraging to downright dreadful.

So, having combined the numbers with what I saw during the game, here are my three best and three worst performers.

The Good

Jarrod Bowen – West Ham’s biggest threat

Bowen was considerably better after half-time and was comfortably West Ham’s most dangerous player.

Once liberated to really attack Charlton left-back Amari’i Bell, Bowen kept his marker guessing. Sometimes he went outside, sometimes he cut inside, and suddenly Charlton couldn’t predict him.

The numbers underline just how involved he was: six shots, five key passes, 11 touches in the penalty area and 19 of his 24 duels won. He also completed 17 dribbles.

He should probably have scored, and certainly should have taken our penalty but he was unquestionably West Ham’s biggest threat.

Manor Solomon – dangerous despite little help

Solomon was probably the Hammers’ second-biggest attacking threat and did remarkably well considering the performance behind him from Ollie Scarles.

The winger won 18 of 28 duels, completed nine of 13 dribbles and had six touches inside the Charlton penalty area.

His crossing could have been better, but Solomon at least looked capable of making something happen.

Joel Piroe – just get him in the box

Piroe scored on his debut despite seemingly being asked to perform the withdrawn role usually occupied by Pablo.

He finished with four shots, all four on target, six touches in the box and a goal.

As I wrote in my closer look at Piroe following his arrival, his biggest strength is his ability as a penalty-box goalscorer.

There’s clearly more to come, but the message seems simple: he’s a goalscorer, so get him closer to goal.

The Bad And The Ugly

Taty Castellanos – 1.79 xG and no goal

This is the painful one.

Taty had seven shots and generated 1.79 xG without scoring.

Getting into those positions deserves some credit, but West Ham lost by a single goal. On another afternoon Taty could have scored two or three.

Unfortunately, he scored none. There is a petulance to Taty and his blatant dive gained a deserved booking.

And, of course, his missed stoppage-time penalty capped a dreadful afternoon.

Ollie Scarles – Charlton exposed the weakness

Scarles’ numbers back up what was obvious watching the game.

He won only four of 12 duels and just two of seven defensive duels, while his overall successful-action rate was only 69%.

The bigger concern for me is pace. He’s simply too easily exposed by quicker wide players at left-back.

I’ve thought for some time that Scarles’ eventual position could be left-sided centre-back in a three, and this performance did nothing to change my mind.

The problem feeds into the wider weaknesses Charlton exposed in this West Ham team, particularly when opponents have the speed to attack us directly.

Konstantinos Mavropanos – two mistakes proved costly

The statistics don’t make Mavropanos look quite as bad as the eye-test did – and that’s precisely why statistics need context.

His basic defensive numbers include three defensive duels won from three, but he won only two of five aerial contests.

More importantly, I thought he was negatively involved in both Charlton goals and the second in particular was embarrassing.

That’s now back-to-back stinkers from Mavropanos, and I’m starting to wonder whether the absence of Axel Disasi alongside him matters more than we realised.

Disasi was integral to West Ham’s defensive improvement last season. He loves defending. He’s physical and enjoys the battle.

I’m increasingly unconvinced Max Kilman does.

Kilman completed an astonishing 101 of 102 passes, but won just one of six defensive duels.

And perhaps that’s the really ugly statistic from this game.

West Ham’s centre-back can pass the football almost perfectly.

I’m just not sure he enjoys defending nearly as much.