West Ham face an unusual attacking problem ahead of Saturday’s Championship clash with West Bromwich Albion. Konstantinos Mavropanos is out with a knee injury, and his absence threatens to deprive Nuno Espírito Santo of one of the most productive goalscorers in his team.
The Greek defender has scored five league goals this season, making him West Ham’s second-highest scorer behind Jarrod Bowen. While much of the discussion has understandably focused on who will replace Mavropanos in defence, there is another problem that could prove just as costly: who replaces his goals?
With West Ham winning just two of their last five league matches, this is hardly the ideal moment to lose such a reliable attacking weapon. Particularly when the club’s recognised strikers have been struggling so badly in front of goal.
West Ham Have Lost Their Set-Piece Cheat Code
I’ve often described Konstantinos Mavropanos’s goals from corners as a cheat code.
An inswinging Jarrod Bowen corner comes into the penalty area, the big Greek colossus gets his head on the end of it, and West Ham score what looks like an easy goal.
It’s been remarkably effective.
Leading up to the defeat against Southampton, West Ham had established themselves as the most dangerous set-piece specialists in the division. Mavropanos has been central to that success, and his five goals are currently putting our strikers to shame.
However, all is not lost.
Bowen’s deliveries are still as deadly as ever, and I’m hopeful that Arne Engels’ corners from the opposite side will eventually become just as productive.
But that does beg the obvious question: who’s going to get on the end of them?
Cheat code: Bowen and Dinos have both outscored West Ham’s strikers
Souček Presents Nuno With A Familiar Dilemma
Tomáš Souček is undoubtedly the most obvious candidate to replace Mavropanos’s aerial threat.
He’s excellent at arriving in the penalty area, timing his runs and getting himself into goalscoring positions. His three Championship goals this season, all scored as a substitute, demonstrate that he remains a serious threat.
The problem is that, as deadly as Souček can be in the opposition box, I still believe he is something of a hindrance when playing in West Ham’s midfield.
It’s a dilemma I’ve already discussed in my previous article about whether Souček should start against West Brom.
I have no doubt that Souček will continue to be deployed from the bench regularly, although I actually have a hunch that Nuno might start him this weekend. More on that in the preview later today.
Losing Mavropanos’s threat from corners could be the very thing that persuades the manager to change his plans.
Can West Ham Find Another Goalscoring Defender?
Failing that, Nuno may need Morato or Airidas Golambeckis to step up and become more of a threat at attacking set pieces.
Morato has already demonstrated that he can score with his head, so it’s certainly not beyond the realms of possibility.
Golambeckis is another option, particularly if Nuno gives the youngster the opportunity to replace Mavropanos in central defence.
Of course, neither player can reasonably be expected to reproduce five goals in the space of a few matches.
And perhaps the easiest way to make up for the loss of Mavropanos’s goals is for West Ham’s strikers to start scoring regularly.
Joël Piroe, Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe have managed just five Championship goals between them. That’s the same number as our injured centre-back.
If ever there was a time for one of them to step up, it’s against West Brom this weekend.