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Episode 055 - Embarrassed by Wolves! Match Reaction
17 Plays14 days ago
In this episode Tom and Jacob unpack the poor performance against Wolves. Discussing where it went wrong and who didn't perform, the boys try to work out what needs to change in the next fixture!
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Transcript
Introduction & Post-Match Reactions
00:00:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello guys and welcome back to another episode of the Daily GSPN West Ham podcast. I'm joined by Jacob. Say hello mate.
00:00:16
Jacob
Hello, how are you?
00:00:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh god, where do we start? Not very happy, to be honest with you. We've just come off of the back of losing 1-0 to Wolves and it's a game that we definitely should have got something from, in my opinion.
00:00:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't know what your opinion is on it, but... There was definitely points available in this game and we we didn't get any. So generally I'm really frustrated.
Lineup Decisions and Strategy Critique
00:00:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
looking Looking at the game itself, what are your kind of what were your first thoughts after the final whistle?
00:00:49
Jacob
um
00:00:51
Jacob
my My initial thoughts um at the end were basically trying to get my head around why he went for the team he went for.
00:01:01
Jacob
and He must have had his reasons, obviously. Falkrug, for example, probably he probably wouldn't want to be used from the start. um It just seemed very strange. like the Gil Hermé, who has barely...
00:01:18
Jacob
played this season.
Attacking Struggles and Defensive Improvements
00:01:19
Jacob
you know um just think the starting XI wasn't right at all. um He obviously had his reasons for for putting out that that specific team. But um yeah, I kind of agree with you. We should have got something from the game.
00:01:37
Jacob
um If we'd have started the game... the way we started the second half, then we we were more likely to get something. We just had, i can barely remember having a shot, you know, we got the Emerson sort of scissor kick, which, you know, after we literally she just came on the pitch and full crew hitting the bar with a header, but this is all second half and, you know, those are the kind of chances you have to take um when you're scrapping at the bottom like we are to, to,
00:02:09
Jacob
you know try and not finish as low as we currently are. um But yeah, overall disappointing because the end the day, if we can't beat Wolves, who are one of the four teams below us, then what kind of hope does it give us for for all the teams that we kind of compare ourselves to but are actually flying you know when it comes to this season?
00:02:35
Jacob
you know You look at Forest, you look at um Who else can you... Forest, Bournemouth, Fulham, you know, they're all...
00:02:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Probably Bournemouth are up there.
00:02:46
Jacob
They're all, I would say, well, I probably wouldn't like to say we're on the same level. I'd like to think we're better and bigger. But, you know, they are having much better seasons and it it doesn't give you any confidence going into those kind of games when...
00:03:04
Jacob
You play the way you do against Wolves and they they've not got Kunja in, you know. it it it felt like it was kind of doomed from the start really. when you When we saw that line-up, we both looked at each other a bit like, what is going on?
00:03:19
Jacob
um Some players obviously you can't leave out and then there's a few others which he still he's still trying to decide his favourite line-up. um But yeah, overall, just naff.
00:03:33
Jacob
And I think we both, as soon as it finished, we both just sort of wanted to put it out of our minds and just move on from it.
00:03:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank you.
00:03:39
Jacob
To be honest, we don't really have a lot of ah lot of feelings towards it.
00:03:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it was very reminiscent of a Lopetegui performance, to be honest. Starting really poor, really slow, not having any sort of aggression or tenacity in the first half, conceding, and then in the second half, coming out and showing a little bit of fight and playing in a way that made it feel like we actually wanted to win, which was something that we hadn't seen at all in the first half.
00:03:49
Jacob
Yeah.
00:03:58
Jacob
yeah
00:04:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, the fact that it kind of dipped back into how it was under Lopetegui is really frustrating. I think especially when we have seen improvements under Potter, he has made us defensively more solid.
00:04:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
He has given us a style that seems a little bit more direct and we kind of take the impetus on ourselves and try to win games instead of just accepting the pressure that's put on us and then hopefully trying to get something later in the game. But...
00:04:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
just a frustrating one, a really frustrating one. Talking about the lineup, it was such a rogue lineup compared to what we're used to.
00:04:42
Jacob
Yeah.
00:04:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, it's formation-wise very similar to what we've seen in the past, but you actually look at the specifics of what it is that what it is that players were doing and people in roles that they weren't used to you know, like Evan Ferguson, that was his first start and Will Hermé, that was his first
Unconventional Lineup & Communication Issues
00:05:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
start as well. So I understand them not quite being up to speed, but it seemed like,
00:05:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
They looked out of their depth quite a lot of the time. It seemed like they weren't sure where to be. They weren't sure how to communicate with the players around them. looked very isolated. I think Evan Ferguson really struggled to get into the game at all, to be honest. He wasn't getting any sort of service.
00:05:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
In the midfield, we got completely outworked.
00:05:32
Jacob
Yeah.
00:05:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
We got overrun, which I don't think is necessarily either Paqueta or James Ward-Prowse's fault because... When you're playing a two-man midfield, it's going to be difficult if they overload you through the middle.
00:05:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I don't think we used the the wide spaces well enough. When we did get the ball, we would give it to Paquette or James Ward-Prowse and then they would just either have to play a sideways pass or go backwards because they kept getting pressured. They kept getting overloaded.
00:06:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
I feel like we should have been using it wide a lot more and kind of spreading the play to drag defenders out of place and make room for the more attacking players.
00:06:01
Jacob
yeah
00:06:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Just a really frustrating one.
00:06:09
Jacob
Yeah, i yeah but the from what I've seen, i think just what we lack is is that it just seems like we haven't got, whoever's got the ball hasn't got enough options, you know.
00:06:25
Jacob
When...
00:06:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:06:27
Jacob
Paquette picks up the ball. He is having to shield and he's having to twist and turn because he's not got any options. And he has to usually go for a for a long ball or a lofted ball over the top to try and get it to Falker or Ferguson. And you just end up losing the ball. You know, we work the ball back to Areola. Areola smashes it forward. We lose it. They come forward again.
00:06:52
Jacob
you know, it's it's it's not a... that isn't a strategy that that can work in the Premier League. like We just don't seem to have an out ball. We don't have any sort of method. you you kind of The way we're playing is you you've got a hope one of our talented players can do something, you know can can pull something out of the bag. you know When Paqueta had the ball, when Bowen had the ball, you felt like something could happen. but
00:07:22
Jacob
It's just there's there's not enough there. ah don't know.
Over-Reliance on Individual Talent
00:07:26
Jacob
It's difficult. And the line-up, he didn't help it with the line-up, did he? so that's a weird one. ah ah Also, like having those players ready on the bench, I don't know why they they wouldn't be in there from the start. you know Suchek.
00:07:41
Jacob
I don't understand why he wasn't in there. I really don't. um I know we've got depth in that position. So, you know, they had just come off the back of an international break.
00:07:54
Jacob
um But that's the kind of game we have to win. And now we're just where's Where's the next point going to come from, really?
00:08:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:08:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's that's a good question. If we can't beat one of the four teams below us, then yeah, a like you said earlier, how are we supposed to beat any of the teams above us? Because you look at the quality that every team above us possesses, its
00:08:15
Jacob
Exactly. Hmm.
00:08:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's good. They have players that can punish you. And I like to think that we have that well. But in this game, there was no sense of attacking threat at all, really, until probably in the middle of the second half. We had a few decent chances, but nothing was really clear cut. I know we hit the bar, but yeah, like...
00:08:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
nowhere near enough attacking threat. And I think that's something that's going to kill us for the rest of the season. I know there's not necessarily a huge amount to play for at this point, but we can't just continue to be lacklustre because the whole spirit of the club is going to get so...
00:09:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't even know what word to use. Just everyone's going to get so dejected and so down about how the season's gone. It's going to be really difficult to try and build and have a positive year next year, especially because Graham Potter has only had half a year, like half a season, if that, you know, he hasn't had a transfer window yet.
00:09:12
Jacob
Mm-hmm.
00:09:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
So going into a new transfer window under a new manager, having had a pretty poor end of the year, it's going to be really disappointing. um Okay, we're going to to our first advert. And when we get back, I'd like to discuss a little bit about the lineup and the changes that were made in.
00:10:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, so looking at the lineup, what were, in your opinion, the the strangest choices when when it came to our starting XI? If you give me a couple.
00:10:26
Jacob
Um, I probably Gil Herme. I think a I think he must have just impressed in training or something because, or I don't know. i mean, you look at the, the team maybe thought, yeah, we need, we need more attacking threat in this lineup. So realistically, if he's not putting,
00:10:52
Jacob
Gil Herme in, there isn't anyone else other than Falkrug that you could class as goal-scoring threat. um So I can see reasons why he might have put him in, but also i don't ah don't think he's done anywhere near enough to to warrant that start and then ultimately come off at the start of the second half.
00:11:19
Jacob
um at half-time even. And yeah it's just weird. The whole thing is just weird. And then um
Youth vs. Experience in Team Selection
00:11:29
Jacob
ah think other than that, it's not too bad. Ferguson, maybe he didn't quite deserve to to start, but, you know, he had to sooner or later.
00:11:41
Jacob
that didn't work out. You know, we've got no Antonio, Danny Ings. I don't know what what his current situation is really. um Yeah, it's just that's probably the most youthful our team has looked for a while. But that that's purely those three, you know, and nineteen and two 19-year-olds and a 20-year-old. But it just didn't work. um You could tell that he he knew after watching that first half that something had to change.
00:12:13
Jacob
um And it isn't something you see very often, you know, three players coming off the bench at half-time. And then we added some experience and, you know, international players.
00:12:24
Jacob
um And that did sort of turn the tide of the game, but it didn't really give us a huge amount more threat. We had a lot more of the ball.
00:12:35
Jacob
We had a few ah few chances, but, you know, had we had been like that for the first 45, we could have essentially doubled that threat and and possibly scored a goal. But, you know,
00:12:48
Jacob
Yeah, I think he's he's at the stage where he's still trying things out and he's still trying to work out his hes best 11 whilst working with injuries and trying to rest players and give players enough game time. and and It's not easy to do.
00:13:09
Jacob
you know He's only just come in he needs time and he needs a transfer window. um What do you think?
00:13:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. See, I understand the the age of the squad to a point because something that I keep hearing basically every game at this point, the commentators mention the fact that we've got the oldest average squad in the league, which is something that you don't really want. You don't want to have the label of having the oldest squad because it gives the impression that you're not going to have the same energy, the same dynamism, the sort of attacking intent that you need to be able to win games.
00:13:41
Jacob
faster yeah
00:13:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
If people are saying, oh, this is an old team, the connotations aren't really ever positive. Maybe experience, but other than that, there's not really anything you can say about an old team that's going to be positive.
00:13:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
So his choice to use some of the younger players and start them, I think, is... potentially a good idea in principle, but I think there's been, in this game, there was an issue, I think, particularly on the left in Skulls and Guilherme's communication with each other and their ability to kind of link up
00:14:21
Jacob
Mm-hmm.
00:14:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
They're both very young players, obviously. So when you're trying to bring them into the first team, you want experienced players around them. So I think it's been good for Oli Scars because he's had Aaron Questlove behind him.
00:14:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
But then when you've got one of the younger players in front of him as well, there isn't necessarily the age to rely on to communicate about what it is that they need to be doing in times when maybe one of them is slightly unsure.
00:14:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
If you look at other areas of the squad, you know, i think anyone that plays next to Jarrod Bowen is going to do really well.
00:14:52
Jacob
Mm-hmm.
00:14:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
He's going fare really well. But when you've got two young players either side of you, I think Goullier May particularly, obviously, because we had Evan Ferguson up front, the two players he's probably looking to link up with the most are both inexperienced.
00:15:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
both of which haven't really started for West Ham a massive amount. So the fact that we weren't necessarily as attacking down that side, i mean, kind of neither sides really, but on that side specifically, it's not really a surprise.
00:15:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
If we are looking to bring these guys into the first team, I think we need to pick and choose who we play when. And we have to be strategic about when we do use some of the younger players because we really are at risk of,
00:15:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
making it seem like, firstly, they're not as good players as what they are, because I think all three of the young players that play this game are very good players. I think the other risk is of experiencing them or exposing them to negative experiences in the first team.
00:16:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
There's only so many times you can start young players and not play well before people start to question if they have the ability. When we know that Oli Scars does because he's played really well for us in the past, Guilherme hasn't particularly so far, but his talent is undeniable.
00:16:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, we we signed him for a decent amount of money and he was wanted by a lot of other teams. And that doesn't come without some level of ability. So I'm sure that he does have it. And then Evan Ferguson, we know how good he is.
00:16:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
He scored in the Premier League before. So we just need to be careful if we're having this sort of result with those guys in the team, because like we're saying now, we're having a conversation about, oh, was it the right decision?
00:16:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
that continued conversation is only going to negatively affect them. I think particularly for Evan Ferguson, while we have him, We need to try and get the most out of him. So
Managing Young Players' Development
00:16:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
if he doesn't play well in a game, I don't think we start him next game.
00:16:55
Jacob
Yeah.
00:16:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because if he has two bad games in a row, people start to talk and they start to go, oh, maybe he's not as good. What what is he doing? He should be better than this, blah, blah, blah. But if we can bring Fulker into the team, he doesn't do well. Then, you know, at like 60, 70 minutes, we can bring Ferguson on and say, right, just attack the game.
00:17:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Try and get something from it. If you do, brilliant. If not... you've had a limited amount of time in there the actual team, so it's it's no pressure. And then if we do get an injury, which, you know, Fulker has had so much time out of the squad, that's when he can come back into the team and try and show that he's good enough.
00:17:24
Jacob
yeah
00:17:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
But,
00:17:31
Jacob
Good.
00:17:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
If they aren't playing well enough, I think bringing them away from the first team, these younger guys, is probably the smart move. And maybe not all of them at once, but I don't think you should start those three young players together next game because it obviously didn't work this game. So if we can put a slightly older player in there, someone more experienced, you know, a full crick up top.
00:17:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
bringing Emerson in in behind, then Guilherme's got two very experienced players around him to kind of boost him. And then if that's going okay, then maybe we could bring one of the other younger guys on, you know, try and preserve the attention and stop them getting blamed for the reason that we didn't play well, basically, if that makes sense.
00:18:13
Jacob
Yeah, I agree with that and with like you said about Fulker, I don't know how you feel but I really want to see him come good for us.
00:18:26
Jacob
Like there's ever since he joined you know, there's been people saying that you know that's that's too much money for a 32 year old and
00:18:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:18:41
Jacob
I think we were excited, but I don't know what other people thought. But obviously with his his injury issues and his, you know, making almost or not able to make any impact at all, I would love to see him kick on now and, you know, make that place his.
Fulker's Potential and Age Concerns
00:19:01
Jacob
um Because he is a threat. Like you can see he's a threat when he had that that glancing header onto the button to the crossbar. And it was like out of nothing.
00:19:12
Jacob
And you know that's what you get from a um from an international striker of that experience and that age.
00:19:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Thank
00:19:21
Jacob
um He has that ability. And if we feed him, he will eventually start scoring goals. you know it's It's not like he hasn't got any at all. you know And yeah, I would just love to see him do well, to be honest. stood robert We'd rather, you know as much as we like Ferguson and we want to see him succeed as well,
00:19:40
Jacob
we would like it to be a ah player that we actually own, um who we are potentially going to have for for another couple of years. So, yeah, I hope he can kick on.
00:19:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah I ah completely agree. Okay, we're going to go to our final advert and then we'll get back. I'd like to talk about a little bit more where do we go from here as a club for the rest of the season and a couple of changes that we'd like to see potentially to the the next starting XI that we name.
00:20:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, so obviously we've done quite a lot of chat about starting XI and players that we didn't think they did as well as they could have done. Looking at the actual starting XI, what is one change that you think we definitely need to make going into the next game?
Strategic Lineup Changes for Bournemouth
00:20:47
Jacob
I think as long as Fulkerig is fit and ready to go, i think hes he's got to be in there. I think um
00:20:59
Jacob
ah it's tough because that isn't necessarily... ah don't think that's what everyone else will be thinking. um But for me, i think what he showed in that second half, you know putting himself about arguing with the ref. like We love all that stuff.
00:21:17
Jacob
um i think he I think he's got to be in there. he just adds more of a threat and that's exactly what we need. um Next game is Bournemouth, I believe.
00:21:29
Jacob
um and yeah
00:21:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, he's on the fifth.
00:21:33
Jacob
and I ah don't think we can really sit here and have a huge amount of hope for that one after what we've just seen against the team that is directly below us, you know, an informed Brighton They're coming off, they lost to City in the Cup.
00:21:58
Jacob
um So maybe thats sir that's affected their morale. um Maybe we can take advantage of that, but i it shouldn't really have to come to that. and um I think Fulker can provide that threat. you know They've got some young centre-backs in there and a big, strong German is is probably what we need to get us going in the right direction.
00:22:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I completely agree. I think when you you look at the team, i especially against Bournemouth, because they do have such good attacking players, I think him keeping the three at the back isn't the worst idea.
00:22:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
We just need to make sure we have solidity in the middle of the park because Wolves really tore us apart.
00:22:44
Jacob
Mm-hmm.
00:22:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
So for me, i would probably like Carlos Soler to play on the left. Take Guilherme out. He didn't have the best game. He's young, so we don't there's no rush in getting him starting minutes.
00:23:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Carlos Soler is someone that has played really well out there, and he can also tuck in quite nicely. you know I think he's ah central midfielder by trade. Maybe slightly more attacking than he is defensive, but he knows where to be and what to do when it comes to...
00:23:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
being part of that midfield partnership.
Tactics and Team Coordination Improvements
00:23:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
So his ability to come in from the left, I think is going to be really positive. And then going forwards, I think he is still relatively good. He's quite well-rounded and we've seen him used on the left before and he's been able to have a really positive influence on the game. So i think that's what I would do.
00:23:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Looking forward to Bournemouth.
00:23:44
Jacob
Mm-hmm.
00:23:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, it's really scary, really scary. We're playing them at home, which is good. kind of takes away one of the advantages that they have because their stadium is so compact. It's very different to what you get in the Premier League, really. I guess the only thing you would compare it to is maybe a Luton from last year.
00:24:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
Very small, very compact, but has very good home support. So the fact that we're playing them at our place is really good. I'm relatively apprehensive, to be honest, but I do think I agree with you.
00:24:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
I'd love Fulker as start. and I'd love him to get a couple of goals and just be a bit of a bully because I know that technically he's really strong. He's a really good finisher, but you look at his physical profile and his age and his experience, you like to think that he could kind of grab the game by the scruff of the neck and get us a few goals.
Conclusion & Listener Engagement
00:24:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think that's what I'm hoping for.
00:24:33
Jacob
yeah
00:24:35
Jacob
yeah 100% well we'll see ah we'll see in a few days um thank you all very much for watching this episode of the daily GSPN gspn West Ham podcast say goodbye Tom
00:24:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Goodbye guys.
00:24:50
Jacob
Please rate this podcast five stars and check out all of our social media that is linked in the description. um Also, there is loads other GSPN podcasts available. ah There's the Fantasy Football Pod, Women's Football Pod, Wrap Up Pods in multiple different languages, and you've got all the other Premier League team pods as well. Thank you, and we'll speak to you soon.