West Ham: Moyes must release his £19 million “monster” before Aguerd.
The club’s center defender has yet to make his Premier League debut.
West Ham United return to Premier League play Thursday afternoon at the London Stadium against newly promoted Sheffield United.
The Hammers are coming into this game off the back of a 1-0 EFL Cup win over Lincoln, but they have also lost their last two top-flight games, to Manchester City and Liverpool.
In their most recent league match, David Moyes’ men were defeated 3-1 by the Reds, with goals from Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Diogo Jota securing all three points at Anfield.
The only new injury doubt for the game, according to the Scottish head coach, is left-back Aaron Cresswell. He might, however, make some changes to the team that was defeated by Liverpool in order to rebound from that defeat.
Will Konstantinos Mavropanos face Liverpool?
Moyes must finally play Konstantinos Mavropanos in the Premier League today after he was an unused replacement against Liverpool and Manchester City.
The central defender, who joined the Hammers from Stuttgart for a reported £19 million in the summer transfer window, has yet to make his league debut for the club, but his performances in cup competitions show that he deserves the chance.
He started against TSC in the Europa League and shined at the back against Lincoln in the EFL Cup earlier this month, demonstrating his defensive prowess.
Mavropanos had a Sofascore of 7.5 and won three of his six duels in the European showdown. The former Arsenal man then backed it up with a 7.5 against the League One team, winning all four of his bouts.
These figures demonstrate that the Greek defender, whom his former manager Pellegrino Matarazzo described as a “monster” capable of “magic,” has been a dominant figure in his early appearances for West Ham, with a duel success rate of 60%.
Will Nayef Aguerd make his debut against Liverpool?
After a disappointing showing against Liverpool, Moyes should send Morocco international Nayef Aguerd to the bench to make room for Mavropanos.
He handed away a penalty by tripping Salah in the box, giving the hosts the lead, and then lost track of Nunez in the area, allowing the hosts to score again.
The left-footed defender has also committed one blunder that directly led to an opponent’s shot and been sent off in five Premier League appearances this season, earning him a Sofascore rating of 6.90.
Aguerd, who has only won 54% of his duels, should be changed in the starting XI against Sheffield United to test if the summer addition can reproduce his cup performances in the top division.
In 28 Bundesliga games for Stuttgart last season, the Greek international did not make a single error that resulted in a shot or goal for the opposing team, nor did he give away a penalty, and he has the ability to be a trustworthy alternative at the back for Moyes.
His displays against TSC and Lincoln were excellent, and the Hammers manager should now reward him with his first Premier League start against the Blades.
