Depressingly, West Ham picked up where they left off last season with a three at the back system who seemed to have no plan, apart from passing the ball between each other and then, inevitably, back to Areola. Without a centre-back willing to carry the ball forward West Ham still looked sterile and devoid of ideas.
Their low block – without concerted pressing on opponents – means that West Ham just seems to be surrendering possession far more often than they were winning it back. One chance in the first half was depressingly familiar too. Outnumbered in the midfield and ‘absent’ in numbers from the opponents penalty area.
Giroud scored for Lille just before the break, a lovely goal with a chest control and swivel before volleying into the goal. A dull, lethargic Hammers first half.
By way of contrast, early in the second half, Kilman – hooray- finally stepped out of defence and carried the ball forward, linked via Fullkrug to Bowen who shot just wide. Playing through the middle. Better. This became the trigger for a fifteen minute purple patch, with lots of one touch football, whatever Potter said at half time did the trick: Fullkrug had a header well saved as West Ham found some confidence and aggression.
For the second half, Bowen moving back to the right and Fullkrug back to a central striker seems blindingly obvious but always looks a better deployment.
However: Rodriguez for Potts, Soucek for Paqueta, Walker Peters on for Todibo at 74 minutes meant the reunion of West Ham’s midfield of murk: Suddenly Lille could play through the centre which they didn’t manage much in the whole of the first half.
For a brief period early in the second half West Ham had looked decent: Those three changes did send the Irons backwards again in midfield although Kyle Walker Peters as a right back looked bright and polished.
Diouf almost created late on, with a booming crossfield pass to Fullkrug who knocked down for Bowen to volley against the bar. Close! One minute later the Hammers were level through a well-taken Fullkrug goal with some great pressing from Bowen, Walker Peters and Soucek. A big, big lesson there, the team needs to work out how to press as a unit instead of piecemeal as per the first half.
The game finished 1-1 with West Ham certainly looking the stronger with no real threat on their goal in the closing minutes.
For the record, the penalty shootout was won by West Ham after a bit of Areola magic saving a couple of blistering spot kicks and throwing down a marker for Mads Hermansen: Don’t think he’ll be giving up that jersey easily.
A good workout but some big ‘structural flaws’ remain.
Rodriguez is the biggest flaw offers nothing going forward. Too slow and weak defensively, Alvarez offers a little more bite, but we need some pace in the three, it’s why Potts, Fearon and Orford look like such an upgrade. I hope we can get a deal done for Onyedika and maybe Fernandes if the price is right. Ramsay is over priced and Doak like Elliot is a red herring.
It seems strange to spend 18 million on a goal keeper when it’s obvious that the problem is the midfield and yet again we had the usual slow, labouring, non attacking 3 some for the last 15 minutes. We need drive, pace and dynamism in the midfield. This midfield has been a problem for a couple of seasons now. Seems strange that it hasn’t been sorted out, get the midfield sorted we should have a decent season if we don’t another wasted season going nowhere.
Completely disagree Martin, the 3 changes in the 2nd half made us better. Rodriguez for Potts, Soucek for Paqueta, Walker Peters on for Todibo. Suddenly we were controlling the game and all 3 were involved to a greater or lesser degree in the goal with Soucek getting the assist. Not sure what you were seeing, but neither i nor the supporters around me saw what you seemed to.
Potts has real potential, but was struggling in the 1st half with him not involved, those supporters around me Were all saying the same-that we missed Soucek and low and behold he and the other changes impacted the game, without them not sure we woule have got back into it.
Let’s see what the opening game brings.
These games are useful experiments. See what works – see what doesn’t. Hopefully Graham and company will have it all sorted come Sunderland.
Lovely for Niclas Fullkrug to score yet again.
At every other club Potter has been at they had a really high xg over 3 often, what baffles me here is why unlike at all his other clubs are we not pressing high and having runners into the box ? The whole world can see JWP is a problem unless he is playing him in order to put him in the market place ? It all seems to negative, I guess there is the hope that he is hiding his PL formation and he is going to be a bit more aggressive once the real action starts. Our problem is definitely midfield and we need players that can play between the lines. Alvarez, Soucek,JWP are not they are sideways passers, hoped we might see more from Paqueta but guess not…
Same old, same old. Potter is just too defensive in his approach. Doesn’t matter how many new players he brings in we will always be poor with his negative attitude.
I am not looking forward to this season at all. My seats will remain empty until he has gone or changes his approach
Lille are no mugs. Champions League last year, EUFA this. A common theme is that we’re looking stronger in the second half against the opposition in all of pre season games. Plus last year we really struggled when we went behind. Only preseason games I know but some positives, the main one being that we’ve not picked up any real injury issues yet.
I only saw the first half seems I didn’t see our best, but what I did see did look like it needs to improve if we’re to do anything better this season.
Second half was better, dial turned up to 7/10 compared with first half 4/10, John. More later.