Premier LeagueWest Ham United 1-2 Aston Villa
Saturday, 17th August 2024
by Chris Wilkerson
The new era at the London Stadium stuttered and stumbled as Julen Lopetegui’s new West Ham looked much like the old one, and were deservedly beaten 2-1 by Unai Emery’s impressive Aston Villa.
After a summer of signing shiny new players, it was only Kilman and Rodriguez who made their West Ham debuts. Many may be looking for the new boys to jump straight into the team, but with the season starting days after many arrived through the doors, the new manager relied upon the likes of Mavropanos, Soucek, Coufal and Antonio, among others.But for all the money spent, the fresh recruitment outlook and the debut of the Spanish manager, the new West Ham was very much the same as the old West Ham.
A bright start, with Bowen creating half a chance for Soucek to hit wide was quickly followed by an early goal for The Villains.
Soucek is one of the long-term members of this squad that many fans have spent the summer assuming would be left behind as the wave of glamorous passing football overcame him. But here he was, on the first day of the season, still in the engine room, still putting in the hard yards in the West Ham midfield.
And in the first five minutes, we saw a little of why the manager would lean on him, and then why many expect he soon won't. A nothing moment, a cross headed away by Mavropanos, was suddenly turned into danger as Soucek tried to volley a pass back to his defence from the clearance. He volleyed it out for a corner, and he was made to pay.
The corner was curled into the six-yard box, and into space that no West Ham defender occupied or covered. Onana attacked it, losing Antonio with ease and meeting the ball flush with strong contact to hammer home from only a few yards out.
The space in that six-yard box was also room for Areola to claim the ball himself, which he should have done. Instead, put under no pressure by the Villa attack, Areola remained rooted to his line, and was then left with no chance in saving Onana's effort.
All that new season optimism fading away all inside five minutes. At least without concession pricing, no children will have been afforded the luxury of seeing West Ham helping dreams fade and die. You can't disappoint new fans if you fail to ever create them.
Kudus was the bright spark for the next 30 minutes, the only one as his side faltered and Villa continued their consistent momentum from last season. They could have had three more before 25 minutes were on the clock, the away side finding it far too easy to threaten the West Ham goal.
Rogers should have doubled the lead after leading a quick counter attack. Picking it up just inside the West Ham half, the youngster drove forward, invited on and on as the defence backed off. They kept going until the Villa forward found he'd been allowed space on the edge of the box to shoot, but his finish let him down, placing it far too close to Areola.
Moments later, a quick freekick inside the West Ham half was passed behind the defence for Watkins to run onto, and they were lucky that the striker dawdled just a little to be closed down and blocked by Areola as he entered the six-yard box.
And then Bailey was found by a driven ball from the defence. Fired down the right wing, Bailey gambled that he could catch it. The ball dropped just inside the area, but Bailey beat Areola to it and went around the goalkeeper.
It looked like he would make it 2-0, but Kilman had reacted well to the danger, getting back and then throwing his body towards the Jamaican as he stepped into the six-yard box at an angle and struck at goal. Maybe the pressure was enough, because Bailey dragged his effort against the base of the post and wide.
The Hammers just couldn't get anything going. They seemed to close the defensive gaps for a spell, but even a quiet 10 minutes still ended with Rogers breaking once more to carry the ball through the West Ham half, only for McGinn to fail to deliver when presented with two opportunities to extend their lead, with one shot blocked and the second weak and wide.
You would be forgiven for thinking that nothing had changed at the club over the summer. West Ham were passive, lacking energy and too easy to play through in their mid-block, which neither stopped Villa progressing from the back nor made it hard for them play in the West Ham half.
Antonio failed to make anything stick, Soucek stumbled with possession, and West Ham seemed reliant on the individual spark of Mo Kudus to inspire, rather than any clear cohesive football playing forward. If there was anything else to cling onto, Kilman was confident and assured playing out from the back.
The contrast was most palpable as West Ham got their first corner. Where Villa's had whip and snap, West Ham's was just a little more floaty. With space to claim it, Areola had stayed still. Martinez came out to command the situation and catch the cross.
But where West Ham have profited over the last few years has been finding Tomas Soucek in the box. Having created nothing for 35 minutes, a looped ball from the right dropped just over Antonio and onto the rising chest of Soucek behind him.
The midfielder is a different player in the penalty area, at either end, and took the ball down well. Cash landed from his missed header with Antonio, and turned to try halt Soucek. All the right back did was tangle his legs with the big Czech midfielder, and out of absolutely nothing, West Ham had a penalty.
It has been an uncomfortable summer for Lucas Paqueta, but the midfielder stepped up, stuttered his run, and passed the ball to Martinez's right corner as the Argentine goalkeeper dived to his left. With just under 40 minutes on the clock, West Ham had restored parity.
Now they had the momentum, pushing forward and holding dangerous possession.
Emerson forced a good save a couple minutes later, some good passing football ending with Paqueta feeding Emerson as he pushed through the centre and then dribbled down the right side of the box, squeezing a low shot at Martinez's post that the goalkeeper was forced to palm wide.
Having controlled the first 35 minutes of the half, with big chances that should have seen their lead doubled, Emery's side was forced in at the break at level pegging, which looked entirely unlikely throughout every moment before the home side's sudden goal.
It begged the question as to how Lopetegui would react now. His side had not looked good for the vast, vast majority of the first half. But they had stayed in it and got back level, looking better once they had got that goal. How would the new manager react to his side's first 45 minutes of the season?
But he persevered, perhaps just expecting more from this group, perhaps just aware that many of those new signings on the bench were not quite ready for significant minutes just yet.
It nearly looked oh so wise as Kudus twisted and turned into the box and dug out a lovely rabona to cross to Soucek at the far post. Yards from goal, he again chested down, but this time he got a shot away, only for his effort to be blocked.
It was a much more balanced second half, the tension in a level game closing the gaps either side could find. But Villa did continue to have their threat in transition. Their best chance before both managers turned to their benches. Tielemans quickly fired a pass to Rogers after winning possession in the Villa box.
Once again, Rogers carried at pace and it was 3v3 in the West Ham half. Watkins and Bailey ran ahead of him and it was to the Jamaican the ball went. A stutter looked to have given The Hammers a chance to steal in, but it was recovered to McGinn on the edge of the box. His shot was blocked, but the deflection flew to the right and Bailey tried to force it at goal, but with Areola scrambling, it bounced wide.
Just past the hour mark, the striker West Ham had spent a large part of the summer pursuing came on, but it was from the Aston Villa bench as Jhon Duran replaced the quiet Ollie Watkins, with Ramsey also coming on for McGinn.
Antonio headed over a cross from Coufal, and then moments later Duran should have scored. Space down the Villa left for Digne sees the left back roll a great pass behind the defence for Duran. He got after it and into the box under little pressure, but tried to pass it around Areola at the near post, only finding the side netting.
That seemed to be the nudge Lopetegui needed to turn to his own bench, and the striker he did sign. Niclas Fullkrug was readied to come on, and with him were James Ward-Prowse and another new signing in Crysencio Summerville.
Replaced were Antonio, Paqueta and Bowen with 15 minutes left on the clock. Villa changed too, Digne and Bailey taken off and Maatsen and Philogene coming on. If you were hoping the introduction of Fullkrug may have been the catalyst, you're just fooling yourself. We all knew who was scoring the winner this day.
It came as Villa moved the ball from their defence and down their left channel, where the substitute, the pacey Maatsen was flying down the wing. Coufal was too narrow, giving Maatsen all the space he needed to confidently cushion the floated ball into Ramsey and the penalty box. He quickly squared to Duran, and the Colombian finished with aplomb, keeping it low and driving it beyond Areola.
As they often do, these loyal animals that they are, the striker sprinted to the Villa fans and gestured to the badge, to his heart, to his own feet, and to the performative nature of footballers.
West Ham had few ideas, although Summerville did look sharp in his cameo. Villa could have extended the lead, if not for more great defending from Kilman after Maatsen delivered into the box.
Lopetegui went for broke, throwing Todibo in for his debut and Ings up front with Fullkrug. It almost worked.
Summerville did very well to stand Konsa up down the left wing and then create space to dink in a cross, dropping it between two defenders to where Ings had found space. He headed it on well, but just in the reach of Martinez in the Villa goal. Had the ball had a little more pace on, the striker had done everything right with his header.
That was just your starter, the main course of disappointment. The one chance teams always get was still to come.
Kudus crossed deep into the box, finding Soucek. The Czech midfielder was under it, his header at goal blocked on its way in, only for the ball to drop down and bounce a few yards from goal and the midfielder got their first. He threw himself at it, six Villa defenders around him, and the fans flew to their feet, only for the ball to fly over the bar somehow.
And with that, Lopetegui got off to a start with a bump and defeat. The pass numbers were up, possession figures maybe more fitting to what the fans had wanted, but change takes time, and it wasn't on show here.
Manager's Rating
Julen Lopetegui 7/10: It's hard to judge which moments and habits are mistakes he will repeat or that come from his style, and which are just things that happened today. There's clear emphasis on passing a bit more, and the changes made sense. Not only that, they showed a level of creativity and variety.
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Alphonse AreolaStanding on the line for that corner was an abhorrent mistake.
Vladimir Coufal
A couple good crosses, but he didn?EUR(TM)t seem to get up and down the flank. It might be that a slower passing system doesn?EUR(TM)t suit him, not because of deficiencies on the ball but because he is more used to a direct running game.
Emerson
Missing his buddy on the left now Paquet?? is moved central, his influence waned. His best moment came when he burst through the middle having combined with his bestie.
Konstantinos Mavropanos
Couple of iffy moments, couple of alright ones. Not sure he?EUR(TM)s going to be much more than a change for Todibo and Kilman, but he?EUR(TM)s clearly got himself ahead of Aguerd.
Max Kilman
As the game went on, he seemed to grab the authority that someone at the back needed to have and performed.
Guido Rodriguez
Maybe a touch slow, but not massively slow considering this is not just his first game of the season and in a new country, but one without much preseason before it. Cleaned up nicely in some parts, clearly knows the role and what the manager wants from him on the ball.
Tomas Soucek
Tomas Soucek, a running frustration. It?EUR(TM)s not really a surprise that the manager would look at a team that isn?EUR(TM)t quite there yet and chooses a player you?EUR(TM)d trust to do the hard yards. The corner from his pass was an indication of what he might struggle with, the penalty and big chance show why you can?EUR(TM)t just throw someone like him away.
Lucas Paqueta
In his moments, you can see why he?EUR(TM)s so important, whilst the penalty needed nerve. But he disappeared in the game too often and, as we all know, that indiscipline is a problem. There is something to playing him deeper, getting your best passer on the ball to open up the game, but it?EUR(TM)ll need to be in a functioning midfield.
Michail Antonio
Got a little better in the second half but did not look a Premier League footballer.
Jarrod Bowen
Just didn?EUR(TM)t look at all himself. No rest, no rhythm.
Mohammed Kudus
The chances created in the game were mostly by him, he beat men on the run as he does and looked the only threat in the first half. He was let down by the team around him.
Substitutes
Niclas Fullkrug(Replaced Antonio, 73) Anonymous performance. Late cameo, but didn?EUR(TM)t get into it at all.
James Ward-Prowse
(Replaced Bowen, 73) You can see why the changes were made, but Ward-Prowse isn?EUR(TM)t a creative passer. Great with crosses and those big deliveries, but it needs a more intricate passer with him.
Crysencio Summerville
(Replaced Paqueta, 74) A nice cameo and he seemed to get a little more confident as the minutes went on. Looked good enough for the company he was in.
Danny Ings
(Replaced Rodriguez, 85) What you want from Ings is to get into the box and try find space. That one chance was close, and he did everything right. That?EUR(TM)s the best use you can get from him, throwing him on when all you want a striker to do is get in the box and sniff a chance out.
Jean-Clair Todibo
(Replaced Coufal, 85) Looked comfortable and composed.
Lukasz Fabianski
Did not play.
Aaron Cresswell
Did not play.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Did not play.
Andy Irving
Did not play.
Match Facts
West Ham United: Alphonse Areola, Vladimir Coufal, Emerson, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Max Kilman, Guido Rodriguez, Tomas Soucek, Lucas Paqueta, Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus.Goals: Lucas Paqueta 37 .
Booked: Lucas Paqueta .
Sent Off: None sent off. .
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash (Nedeljkovic 82), Konsa, Pau, Digne (Maatsen 74), McGinn (Ramsey 62), Tielemans, Onana, Rogers, Bailey (Philogene 74) Watkins (Duran 62).
Subs not used: Gauci, Carlos, Barkley, Buendia.
Goals: Onana (4), Duran (79).
Booked: Bailey, Philogene.
Sent off: None.
Referee: Tony Harrington.
Attendance: 62,463.
Man of the Match: .