Grasshopper 1-3 West Ham United
You canât read too much into these things, of courseâbut it was good to see West Ham back playing football again.
The Hammers earned a deserved first-half lead against Grasshopper, despite showing signs of early-season rust.
Maxwel Cornet and Guido RodrĂguez were surprise starters, as Graham Potter used the friendly to test a couple of fringe players while a packed bench looked on. Ollie Scarles started at left-back and made two crucial goal-line clearances as the Swiss side piled on early pressure. Miscommunication between Jean-Clair Todibo and Alphonse Areola caused some nervy moments, and the defence lacked cohesion.
Just as we saw last season, West Ham’s right flank looked sharp, with Jarrod Bowen lively from the off.
Bowen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka combined well to set up Andy Irvingâs well-taken opener, and the Scotsman was unlucky not to score again with a header just before the break.
Niclas FĂźllkrug linked play smartly and tested the keeper, while Cornet improved as the half wore on. Grasshopper nearly equalised before the break, but Muciâs delicate chip drifted narrowly wide.
Irving scored West Ham’s first goal
Potter rings changes with youth at half-time
Half-time saw eleven changes, including the introductions of El Hadji Malick Diouf at left wing-back, Guilherme on the right, and Kaelan Casey at right centre-back.
Just two minutes after the restart, Calum Marshall produced a brilliant Bowen-esque momentâcutting inside from the left, beating his man, and finishing beautifully from 18 yards. The young Irishman nearly doubled his tally soon after, following great build-up play from Orford and Diouf, who looked a real menace.
Diouf was heavily involved again, almost setting up Marshall with an inch-perfect cross. His overlapping runs constantly troubled the Zurich defence, and Orford picked him out with ease.
Grasshopper made it 2â1 after 64 minutes when a poor clearing header from Mavropanos fell to Jensen, who rifled home from range, leaving Wes Foderingham scrambling.
The energy injected by West Hamâs youngsters was even more impressive given the torrential second-half rain. Freddie Potts took over set-piece duties, and one of his free-kicks was right on the money.
As conditions worsened, the overall quality dipped. Guilherme was largely anonymous but did manage to deliver a decent cross for Marshall in the 82nd minute. That said, playing as a wing-back asked more defensive work of him than he seemed comfortable with.
Lucas PaquetĂĄ was repeatedly fouled, while TomĂĄĹĄ SouÄek struggled to make an impact from his advanced midfield role.
Right before the final whistle, a smart slide-rule pass from Marshall played in PaquetĂĄ, whose curling shot was parried into the air by the goalkeeper. As Diouf pounced on the loose ball and looked set to score on his debut, he was brought downâearning a penalty, which PaquetĂĄ converted to seal a 3â1 win.
Good report Gonzo.
Marshall impressed me. I really like his hard working honest attitude. Heâs got to stay now!
Guilherme understandably struggled with the defensive side of RWB. Aguerd sloppy. Casey and Marshall the best of the youngsters, IMO. Marvo looked decent and would like to see him tried as a DM. Diouf might have been our best player.
Means nothing, but nice to get a win.
A worthwhile game to blow the cobwebs off. Diouf’s performance was a real positive to come out of it.
The commentary & punditry were even worse than the Kitmanâs performance, both Marshall & Casey were given the No. 50 shirt.
Nayef, Guilerhme, and Guido were miles off. You can see the players that offer nothing in regards to quick passing through the lines as they are constantly happy to make a sideways five yard pass, or look to play backwards. Our keeper has way too much possession. The second half boys minus 2 of the ones I mentioned had a zip about them and played forwards which Zurich struggled to contain. Potter has to see that certain individuals are creating a negative style of play surely?
In the first half, while they were on, I thought Andy Irving played quite well but Cornet did not look any good at all. Bowen, as usual, looked pretty sharp. The second half was a different team with so many changes and I like the look of Diouf, he should be a key player in the new season. Paqueta still looks half the man he used to be, unfortunately. I was surprised to see Aguerd play, and he didn’t look bad. I hope we don’t give the ball away as much against Man United as we did against those Grasshoppers in the second half. If we do then we’ll be in big trouble!