UEL16: Sevilla 1-0 West Ham Utd (10/3/22)

[YorksHammer]

The best thing coming out of last night was how much better we were on the ball. With the exception of the two wider midfielders - and one of them was a slightly off the pace Fornals, very rare for him - every player hit 80% or higher pass completion last night.

We need that kind of level across the pitch more often.

Lanzini - 90% completion out of 70 passes. Rice - 98% completion out of 51 passes. Soucek - 82% completion out of 33 passes. Those a proper passing stats from a set of central midfielders.

One of the things that surprised me a little was how isolated En-Nesyri was at the tip of the Sevilla attack. He hardly touched the ball - still caused us trouble, but I doubt any player on the pitch that made it through 90 minutes had less than double his amount of touches, which can't have been more than 20 or so all game.

Can't really complain about the result, and we're still in the tie. Got to do it at home now.

[funky chicken]

That Rice isn't worth £100m. His defensive work is great, but he's got to start pulling the strings a bit more on the ball for me.

I’m not interested with the £100m. I am more interested with what he does for West Ham United.

[Whufc06]

I’m not interested with the £100m. I am more interested with what he does for West Ham United.

Get a proper midfield sitter and let Rice loose, he’s wasted playing so restricted

[goa127]

I admire the positivity on here but I'm bitterly disappointed yet again after last night. It was a carbon copy of Saturday against Liverpool. We done ok and could of nicked a draw, but in reality we were so poor in the final third yet again and its killing us.

I think we'll need more than a great atmosphere next week to turn this around. I can see us needing three goals to go through, sadly I don't see it happening.

Prove me wrong West Ham.

Not really a carbon copy of the liverpool game. Our best chance in that game fell to one of our best finishers ------who blazed it out of the ground. Last night our best chance fell to Vlasic who has a sharp left foot, but heading from 10 yards? I felt he concentrated on power too much. If he'd have scuffed it it would probably have crept in. Before the goal their finishing had been equally as wasteful as ours. Interestingly both teams best chances came from set pieces.

[Estuary]

A decent performance but tactically Seville were far better than us. They limited our full backs potential to get into meaningful attacking positions, not that that matters with Johnson, thereby nullifying a big part of modern attacking football.
Ultimately we missed three very good chances and they scored one of theirs, that wins games and settles ties at this level.

[funky chicken]

Get a proper midfield sitter and let Rice loose, he’s wasted playing so restricted

Letting him lose so far this season in the Premier League has produced ONE solitary goal and 4 assists.

What’s wrong with being a world class defensive midfielder? Which is what he is when he sits deep. Didn’t exactly do Kante any harm!

[sendô]

Despite being a goal down we've got to be confident we can get a result next week after that. They were by no means head and shoulders above us, and in all honesty first half it was pretty even. If we'd taken the chances we really should have taken, we'd have got something out of that game, same as at Anfield at the weekend.

Antonio looks like he's getting back to his previous best, getting about, linking well with others particularly Vlasic, and bullying defenders.

Vlasic looked better, getting involved more, linking well with Antonio and getting into good positions. There's a player in there, I'm not entirely sure what he is and if it'll ever work out for him with us but he's looking better.

Soucek is much improved of late and looks like getting back to the Soucek of last season.

Johnson was excellent. Probably his best game to date.

We'll need Bowen back next week, and an in form Rice running the midfield, especially if Rakitic comes back for them.

[droshky]

I’d have taken 1-0 any time

Tickets… we had a Spanish mate who’s from here. His mate took our details but when he bought the tickets he wasn’t asked for them (illegal?). At the gate they took our tickets and wouldn’t let us in or give em back. My Spanish is ok btw. No joy at the TO of course, so ended up In O’Neills with a Frankfurt supporter who DID have his name on his ticket!


Never so much wanted to win as next week!

[GALF]

They upped the press in the second half. And switched Ocampos over to Cresswells side once their (perceptive) manager realized the youngest player on the pitch wasn’t actually our weak link defensively after all.

Got to laugh at the criticism of Johnson and Antonio. Arguably our two best players on the night.

I know I’m a Noble bore but I genuinely believe there’s a place for him in these European games. Looked more assured than Fornals, Lanzini and Vlasic put together. (Yes I know it was only 10 minutes).

Agree strongly with this.

Johnson was our best player (IMO). I also think Antonio has picked his game up over the last couple, compared to the month or two preceding. He isn’t getting on the scoresheet, but his work rate has increased and so has his ability to (try) bring his forwards into the play.

I also think Noble is way past it, but this game in particular was screaming out for him tonight. We wasn’t second best in the middle of the park due to pace, it was because we could not hold onto and move the ball about properly. I think Nobes did well for the short period he was on the pitch. I’m not saying I’d necessarily start him in the return leg, but I’d happily give him an extended run out if the game looks like it is going the way it did tonight.

[steveyrockstar]

I admire the positivity on here but I'm bitterly disappointed yet again after last night. It was a carbon copy of Saturday against Liverpool. We done ok and could of nicked a draw, but in reality we were so poor in the final third yet again and its killing us.

I think we'll need more than a great atmosphere next week to turn this around. I can see us needing three goals to go through, sadly I don't see it happening.

Prove me wrong West Ham.

This is exactly how I feel, too. :cry: I was unusually maudlin and negative after last night's result and performance, despite the fact we played well and the result keeps us well in the tie. I just don't see us having enough to do it, and I can see us slipping away in the league, too and missing out on Europe altogether next season, which undoes all the momentum and hard work we had going.

Like you, though, prove me wrong West Ham...

[Hamburger]

The best thing coming out of last night was how much better we were on the ball. With the exception of the two wider midfielders - and one of them was a slightly off the pace Fornals, very rare for him - every player hit 80% or higher pass completion last night.

We need that kind of level across the pitch more often.

Lanzini - 90% completion out of 70 passes. Rice - 98% completion out of 51 passes. Soucek - 82% completion out of 33 passes. Those a proper passing stats from a set of central midfielders.

One of the things that surprised me a little was how isolated En-Nesyri was at the tip of the Sevilla attack. He hardly touched the ball - still caused us trouble, but I doubt any player on the pitch that made it through 90 minutes had less than double his amount of touches, which can't have been more than 20 or so all game.

Can't really complain about the result, and we're still in the tie. Got to do it at home now.

Moving to Harrogate in the summer Yorks, you won't be by yourself anymore

[James P]

The best thing coming out of last night was how much better we were on the ball. With the exception of the two wider midfielders - and one of them was a slightly off the pace Fornals, very rare for him - every player hit 80% or higher pass completion last night.

Fornals is a 75% player. Last night was not rare for him. He loses the ball and plays wayward passes week in, week out.

[Crouchend_Hammer]

Letting him lose so far this season in the Premier League has produced ONE solitary goal and 4 assists.

What’s wrong with being a world class defensive midfielder? Which is what he is when he sits deep. Didn’t exactly do Kante any harm!

He hasn't been let loose though, not in the way Gerrard was or someone like Gundogan is

When he maraudes forwards he still has to bust a got to get back qnd is usually back in position before anyone else to mop up

Anyway, it isn't just about goals and assists it his involvement in buikd up play. Transitioning from back to front. He can win the ball, drive forward and then initiate the attack. That is his strong point. Covering the whole pitch, popping up on the left flank, picking up balls on the edge of the opposition box, driving into the box to get on end of things. If he had more licence to do that he would be even more immense than he is now

[Bilic'sLimp]

We should be taking lots of positives from that result. We shouldn't be afraid to go at them when they're at the LS.

Great to see our boys learning about European football while at West Ham! Showed lots of nativity with the time wasting antics of Sevilla but that's part of the learning process.

Finishing is becoming an issue. Hoping Bowen will play next week. What a great game that will be!!

[YorksHammer]

Fornals is a 75% player. Last night was not rare for him. He loses the ball and plays wayward passes week in, week out.

Well considering that a) his pass success rate last night was only 66%, and b) his averages for his three seasons with us are 78.8, 79.4, and 77.9, I think it's safe to say that last night was rare for him and he's normally above 75% pass completion.

[Chicken Run Supreme]

I saw enough last night to suggest we can win the return leg. Having said that, I saw enough against Southampton and Liverpool to suggest we really shouldn’t have lost either game.
Finishing our chances, of which we know we will create, is becoming a big issue.
Bowen’s return is vital and I would start with Benrahma.

[Cardiff here we come.....]

West Ham United Training schedule 11/3 - 16/3.

9.30am - 2.00 pm. Shooting practice & scoring goals. That's it.

I don't know what's wrong with us at the moment in front of goal. We look scared, afraid to miss? - there is some kind of mental block developing.

You don't get many clear cut chances vs quality sides vs Sevilla. Next week at London stadium, we'll get a max of 4 or 5 on target chances. We need to score two at a minimum. I'm still confident we can do it, but we need to up the tempo & get them playing at a Premiership style pace. Then we can pressure them into errors. It was all a bit too slow last night, & it suited Sevilla.

Lets make sure they know they've been in a game next week.

COYI.

[Diogenes]

I admire the positivity on here but I'm bitterly disappointed yet again after last night. It was a carbon copy of Saturday against Liverpool. We done ok and could of nicked a draw, but in reality we were so poor in the final third yet again and its killing us.

I think we'll need more than a great atmosphere next week to turn this around. I can see us needing three goals to go through, sadly I don't see it happening.

Prove me wrong West Ham.

Its ok to be disappointed in the result Eggy, most of us are, but the positivity and general pleasure for many on here was seeing a very positive performance, in Europe and against a top side.

I may be wrong, but I think a lot of the more 'happy' posters tend to be of my 'older' generation who actually remember the 'real' West Ham way and previous European jaunts. The West Ham way was playing attractive football and giving it a real go. Unfortunately this was often not attractive 'winning' football. Which is why we were loved by most other clubs (and supporters).

In recent weeks we appear to have got our mojo back and although I am disappointed in the results I am greatly encouraged by our performances and thoroughly entertained. Of course next week is going to be very tough, but provided we keep these performances going we at least stand a good chance of making the next round or bravely going down in flames, which is how it should be.

[Hamburger]

Other than the home game to Wolves that’s the closest I’ve seen Rice to performing as he did last season when he sat deep and was disciplined. Whether some of that was down to the fact he was still a bit unwell so we wanted him to run around less remains to be seen. But that’s the Rice I want to see. Not the Forest Gump who runs to nowhere, while leaving our defence wide open.

Spot on FC and it allowed Soucek to get forward too. Definitely the most effective positioning for that pair imo.

[prophet:marginal]

I don't think there was that much to choose between the two keepers, as much as I think that some have decided to pour scorn on our players, as opposed to credit their GK for the saves he made (the one-handed instinctive stop of the header was top notch).

I don't think the CBs were that different in terms of ability and effort, either, but we did allow perhaps 2 or maybe 3 headers 'between the sticks' when they really might have scored.

Their FBs were better than ours, in the main, but part of that comes from Spanish clubs' tactics, part from the fact that this is a settled opponent that loses very infrequently at that ground and partly from the actual characteristics ours have (one very young, the other quite old and slow in terms of that position). The more they pressed us into our half, the more they could exploit their advantages here.

I thought Rice and Soucek performed their roles well. The clinching 5 minutes for us were those straight after the goal we conceded, because earlier incarnations of our team may have collapsed, or conceded once or twice more, making 2nd leg redundant in the main. Credit to them both and how I wish Sou's shot had gone in. Would have totally transformed the tie.

Fornals, Vlasic and Lanzini each started the first half full of energy and drive, but the longer the game went on the more they appeared worried that an adventurous play that went wrong would lead, almost inevitably, to the ball being kept from us expertly, worked up the pitch and used to put proper pressure on our goal. They each slipped from good starts, but I personally remind myself that these were realistically the ONLY options that Moyes had yesterday. This trio haven't played together many times before and we missed ability in Bowen, which is to be defending in a pack with Sou/RB one moment and then sprinting on the shoulder of his FB opponent the next. We didn't have him and we clearly suffered.

Antonio played a decent game. Still unable to understand quite how he air-kicked the ball, in their area, but I think the flight of it might have changed just as he started to follow through with his effort.

In summary, we need to freshen and change a bit, despite having such limited options. Benrahma changed nothing really, so the changes are Bowen for Vlasic, or Bowen for Manu and Vlasic in the middle of the trident.

All in all we showed that we never f.l.uked our passage to the last 16, but, by the same token, we were drawn against a likely future winner of the cup.