The outcome of West Ham’s Friday night fixture against Queens Park Rangers was influenced by a Manchester City loanee – but not in the way Hammers fans would have hoped. Their own youngster Divine Mukasa, on loan at London Stadium from Man City this season, had a quiet game by his own high standards with very little being offered by the nineteen year old who was largely anonymous.
However he’s set the bar pretty high in his fledgling Championship career and the young man has already received one nomination for a ‘goal of the month’, so it’d be unrealistic to expect match winning performances every game.
Sadly Mukasa’s “off day” coincided with a quiet evening for Arne Engels and a (perhaps understandably) off-the pace performance by Tomas Soucek in West Ham’s midfield, as the trio saw themselves marginalised.
By comparison, Queens Park Rangers’ on-loan goal keeper Pierce Charles kept his own side in with a share of the points as his excellent double save kept out West Ham’s injury time winner. As per Thesun.co.uk:
“..Bowen was left red-faced in stoppage time when his penalty was stopped by Charles – the Manchester City loanee also heroically denying Arne Engels on the rebound.”
“Heroic”? D’oh.
Clearly City’s latest goal keeper acquisition – who was picked up from Sheffield United and then immediately loaned to QPR- is a talented young man.
Indeed in the battle of the Cityzen loanees there was only one winner as Mukasa found himself hooked on 68 minutes for Lewis Orford, who seemed to introduce more accurate passing to West Ham’s midfield.
Charles, by comparison, ensured Rangers left London Stadium with a point which was the very least they deserved after sticking to their plan and successfully stifling West Ham’s very modest attack.
Mukasa not the only one to be playing in a new formation.
Strange to change personnel when it had been going so well.
Tomas Soucek did not look so good after Declan Rice adopted the role of the attacking playmaker. Regardless of team selection, we should do better than we did last night. That is down to management and coaching.
Think the same about the formation and personnel changes.
Also, modern managers seem to think you can move players around like pawns and the whole will still function just as well. If Kante out, you cannot simply put in a rusty Soucek and expect midfield to work the same. Soucek does not play quick one touch football then run for a return pass. Kante does and importantly so do Mukasa & Engels, so that trio might work. Take Kante out, put Soucek in his place to get the same effect – won’t work. You have to change it – just lazy.
Think Mukasa was very poor and I’m sure it can happen, but I saw a player who is realizing that WHU are not of a very high coaching standard and that he does not fit in.
Saw Orford put in a couple of very effective tackles and covering well, but not a single pass beyond 5 yards, always getting rid of the ball to anyone as quickly as he could and not a single attempt to beat an opponent, nor charge forward, nor clip in a pass, absolutely no endeavour. He did not come close to putting in a worthy midfield performance. Going the same way as Potts.
Might not be his fault and I have no idea if this is because told not to try anything adventurous, out of position, lack of confidence (if so, it must have been knocked out of him), not enough minutes, in limbo around the 1st team squad with no one-on-one coaching nor any football matches… but unless somebody at WHU intervenes and says what is so glaringly obvious this will carry on and what was supposed to be a promising crop of youngsters will fade away, out of sight.
Keep reading on C&H and elsewhere how NES gives youth and academy a chance. Complete nonsense. The youngsters who were recruited were down to Koppen (Engels, Arno,…), NES probably wanted experienced players. The other youngsters, those from the academy do not start, barely feature and are not even given enough minutes to improve and grow as the season progresses. This is in the Championship so somebody is lying. Either academy players are in fact not good enough despite WHU comments, or manager does not in fact trust them and they should be playing more, but are in fact stop-gaps (which ruins their chances of developing from talented U21s into good professionals).
The academy is not THE answer, but they are in the squad, they are talented, so use them but use them correctly. If do not know what I mean look at QPR. Plenty of youngsters and a team playing quick football on the front foot.
I’ll believe that NES is good for the academy and develops young players when I actually see it happen out on a pitch. I’ll believe it when I see academy players growing into their roles as 1st team players, increasing in ability and growing in confidence from regularly being on a pitch and making a difference in a match.
His accurate kicking out to the players on the left and right wing was very good.
Gotta say i always feel a little bit nervous with Hermandsen in goal and rather have Areola between the sticks.