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West Ham United travel to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon and David Moyes will be well aware that failing to win will end the fading chances of qualifying for a fourth successive season in European competition.
The Hammers know that, in all likelihood, they won’t be continuing their sparkling continental journey next season but there is no doubt that the playing squad boasts enough firepower to maintain a position of promise in the English top flight over the coming years, despite the lingering situation surrounding Moyes’ future at the London Stadium.
Moyes, 61 years old, is out of contract in a matter of weeks and after winning the Conference League last season, he has dealt with the departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal to propel his side back into the top half of the league table.
Despite this, he can’t seem to shake the negativity pervading from prominent supporter circles that have made their voluble opinions known that he should part ways with the side this summer, largely down to his perceived conservative style of football.
Still, West Ham are usually well drilled, disciplined and oiled to get the job done, and given that they have already won away to Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the Premier League this season, they will be confident Stamford Bridge can be added to the collection tomorrow.
West Ham team news
West Ham could welcome Konstantinos Mavropanos back to the matchday squad in west London after the Greek international’s absence over the past three matches due to injury.
However, Sunday’s game comes too soon for Nayef Aguerd, meaning veteran Angelo Ogbonna will partner captain Kurt Zouma in central defence once again if Mavropanos is not ready to play from the outset.
Chelsea might have impressed during their midweek victory over Spurs but the hosts are battling a catalogue of injury issues and Moyes might spy a chink in the armour to exploit, with the majority of his team fit and raring to go.
That doesn’t mean he won’t make a tweak or two though, with Chelsea’s recent performance possibly giving the Scotsman food for thought when it comes to Vladimir Coufal, and whether he should start at Stamford Bridge.
Vladimir Coufal’s season in numbers
Coufal has been an excellent addition to Moyes’ West Ham side, joining from Czech outfit Slavia Prague in a £5m transfer in 2020 and amassing 152 appearances, supplying 20 assists for his teammates.
This season, as per Sofascore, the defender has started 33 Premier League matches and racked up seven assists, averaging 0.9 key passes, 1.8 tackles, 2.4 clearances and 3 out of 9 successful duels per game.
He might not be in the finest form right now but Coufal does have his strengths, ranking among the top 18% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 10% for clearances and the top 21% for aerial duels won per 90, as per FBref.
But the 31-year-old’s certain lack of mobility will impede his and his side’s chances of victory at a pivotal moment and Moyes must consider dropping him.
Why West Ham must bench Vladimir Coufal
Coufal was rag-dolled when Newcastle United defeated West Ham several weeks back, branded with a 4/10 match rating by The Evening Standard’s Malik Ouzia, brutally exposed by the pace and power of Anthony Gordon.
What does that tell us? It tells us a lot. Coufal has been dribbled past five times across his past two matches in the Premier League, against Crystal Palace and Liverpool, shipping seven goals during this timeframe and losing possession 31 times – 15 times against the Eagles and 16 times against Liverpool.
Chelsea are an imperfect team but they are filled with talent and have a range of tools that can inflict damage onto the Hammers. They create chances and they stretch the opposition with their wide pace and swift overloads. Coufal will suffer.
Mykhaylo Mudryk has certainly had his detractors since joining Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in a £88.5m transfer back in January 2023, but he has been in promising form recently and has started six of the past seven matches in the Premier League, showcasing his skills superbly last time out.
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Mykhaylo Mudryk: Stats vs Tottenham |
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|---|---|
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Stat |
# |
|
Minutes played |
75′ |
|
Shots taken |
4 |
|
Key passes |
3 |
|
Accurate passes |
20/25 (80%) |
|
Dribbles completed |
2/3 |
|
Duels won |
4/7 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
His athleticism and breakneck speed will cause Coufal so many problems, and so Ben Johnson – who is approaching the end of his West Ham career, out of contract this summer and rumoured to be heading to Crystal Palace on a free transfer – must start in his stead.
Johnson’s starting roles have arrived intermittently this season, starting only four games in the Premier League, but the 24-year-old’s pace and ground-covering style make him the perfect Irons player to attempt to deal with Mudryk, who has an immense natural talent but hasn’t gelled it all together with constancy at Chelsea yet.
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While Chelsea are looking to string together some impressive late-season form, West Ham have plenty of tools to cause an upset and Johnson must be unleashed to ensure that the best chance of victory is placed.
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