West Ham United threw away two points after relinquishing a two-goal lead twice against Brighton on Saturday to pick up just a point, but amidst all the chaos, one name stood out for the Hammers.
While Robert Snodgrass may have impressed with his brace, January signing Tomas Soucek showed plenty of promise and could play a huge role for the Hammers in the coming months.
Signed in the eleventh hour of the transfer window, Soucek was relatively unknown quantity considering he played with Slavia Prague, but he showed hints of what he is capable of.
Tomas Soucek is the all-action player West Ham desperately needed
Granted, it’s been just one game and getting carried away is not particularly smart, but considering how dire West Ham’s midfield has been all season, Soucek was a breath of fresh air against Brighton on Saturday.
Before the season began, the West Ham midfield had a rising star in Declan Rice, but the England international’s performances have dipped, while club stalwart Mark Noble doesn’t have the legs anymore.
Soucek, in his first game, showed that he is the archetypal box to box midfielder, and can do a little bit of everything.
After nearly scoring in the first 20 odd minutes of the game, Soucek showed exemplary work ethic to put in tackles and win the ball back, and at the same time, got forward to support his teammates in attack.
The 24-year old managed five tackles in the game, just one behind Brighton’s Bernardo, and had a 100% tackle success rate which is remarkable. He also managed three interceptions, and was undoubtedly West Ham’s best player in the middle of the park.
David Moyes’ side shot themselves in the foot with some comical defending, and it’s a shame because in the end, conceding three goals makes it seem like the Hammers didn’t particularly perform well in the defensive phases of the game.
Brighton deserve credit for exposing a shaky Hammers’ defence, but none of that blame should fall on Soucek’s shoulders as he was pretty impressive on his debut.
It was Soucek’s first game since mid-December, and the fitter he gets, the better he will perform in what will be a crucial couple of months for West Ham.
Stats via Whoscored
