West Ham have kept four clean sheets in their opening 12 Championship matches, and Konstantinos Mavropanos has featured in every one of them. The Greek defender has started 11 league games, missing only the draw against Watford, which makes his potentially lengthy absence through injury a significant concern for Nuno Espírito Santo.
However, whilst those statistics underline Mavropanos’s importance to the Hammers, they don’t necessarily tell the whole story. The Hammers have struggled defensively at times this season, particularly down the right-hand side, and I believe some of Dinos’s mistakes have been overlooked because of his remarkable goalscoring form.
Mavropanos is undoubtedly West Ham’s most important defender, but that doesn’t mean he has been our best-performing one. With the Greek international now facing a possible spell on the sidelines following his knee injury against Southampton, Nuno has an opportunity to rethink a defensive partnership which has not always looked particularly comfortable.
Mavropanos always looks more shaky alongside Walker Peters
West Ham’s Right Flank Has Been A Problem
I do believe Mavropanos has been hindered by the disruption on the right-hand side of him. He always looks more comfortable when Joël Veltman is playing at right-back rather than Kyle Walker-Peters.
Mavropanos often gets caught in no-man’s-land when trying to cover the gaps vacated by Walker-Peters, and West Ham have repeatedly been torn apart down our right flank this season.
That said, his passing has been poor too. Almost a feature of every game is Mavropanos passing the ball to the opposition, and that is something he must take responsibility for rather than blaming the players around him.
There is also a belief that he is not at his best when partnered with Max Kilman. Personally, I think Kilman has been the better defender this season, even if Mavropanos has attracted more attention.
Undoubtedly, it was never Nuno’s plan to pair the two of them together. It became a necessity once it was clear West Ham had been unable to bring Axel Disasi back for a second spell, leaving the manager with limited alternatives in central defence.
Nuno Should Keep Veltman At Right-Back
The temptation might be to move Veltman into central defence to cover for Mavropanos, but I would resist that.
For me, Veltman provides exactly the sort of defensive stability West Ham have been missing on the right. Moving him inside would solve one problem while potentially recreating another.
Personally, I would go with Airidas Golambeckis. He’s right-footed, partners Kilman well and deserves the opportunity to show what he can do at Championship level.
As Claret & Hugh reported earlier today, Mavropanos’s injury could force Nuno into a defensive reshuffle against West Bromwich Albion. There are other possible solutions, including a change of system, but I would prefer to keep the back four and give the youngster his chance.
The clean-sheet statistic is interesting, but it shouldn’t disguise the fact that West Ham’s defence has looked vulnerable even with Mavropanos playing.
Losing him is a blow, undoubtedly. But if it encourages Nuno to establish a more settled back four, with Veltman at right-back and Golambeckis alongside Kilman, there may yet be something positive to come from it.