West Ham (A) - EFL Cup R4 - Post-Match Thread

It's hardly panic stations. Away to a PL side in the cup playing a slightly weaker side, anything can happen. Straight to penalties means it turns into a lottery faster and after four amazing years we're finally not going to be able to win the Carabao. Big whup. After four consecutive glorious wins I'm not gonna complain. I thought we played well enough to win, and but for their goalkeeper we'd have sailed to a 2-0 victory and that would have been that.

My biggest concerns are Kevin and Sterling, though. Kevin because it looks like "playing himself back into form" isn't really going to plan (something Pep acknowledged last night); Sterling because he's a near-busted flush that we have to keep playing because other players need resting. I hope he gets the move he clearly wants because whatever love was there between him and us is really beginning to go now. To me, he will always be The Very Good Boy (a nickname I gave to him in 2017) but I want him to be happy elsewhere instead of miserable with us.

Quietly as well, as much as there's enthusiasm about Palmer, I don't think he's anywhere near the level Foden was at his age. He was bullied off the ball and dispossessed quite a lot last night, I thought. I want to be proved wrong but I feel like, whenever he has the ball, I'm willing him to do something because I want him to do well. With Foden he just sort of did it anyway, and Pep trusted him in massive games during that 18/19 run-in. I'm not writing Palmer off, obviously, I just don't see what everyone else does.

I was pleased with Ake's performance last night, though, I have to say. He defended well and he moved the ball through midfield a lot quicker than he normally does. He's normally very indecisive and jittery but he was playing progressive, vertical passes through to Gundogan and Sterling for most of the night. It was also good to see Zinchenko slotting back in the fold so comfortably after a few weeks out.

It feels sad to say, but yeah this is definitely the end for Fernandinho. He did okay last night, but you get the feeling he can't quite manage games in the same way anymore because he's 36 and the pace has gone beyond him. He'll know it more than anyone, I'm sure. There's nothing much to say about Gundogan and Mahrez. Gundogan's coming back from injury so he'll be up and down; Mahrez is always up and down anyway.

Beyond that, it's clear how much we miss Jack when he's not there. I don't know how long it's going to take for some people to understand that he's the perfect foil for other creative players in our team, but hopefully last night will show them exactly where he's missed. When he's not there, the link-up play does go stale in some periods of the match and the ideas don't quite flow with the same level of confidence. He reminds me a lot of Gareth Barry in the way you notice him more when he's not there.
 
Very poor

Sterling is a shithouse pulling out of 50/50 challenges

Gundogan out of sorts

Mahrez back to FFS

But biggest concern WTF is going on with Kev, he looks so out of form that he is not first name on the team sheet at this moment.

Good luck to the hammers now, hope they win it
 
Not to bothered, apart from loosing a game we should have won. I don't want to win evrything every year - we've been on the othetr side of that and it's boring and unhelpful for football generally.
The chances we miss every game and particularly the ones at Chelsea, PSG and Anfield clearly point to the need for someone with a nose for goal and I'm sure Pep knows that and the management team have that in hand. I'm looking forward to watching this team (hopefully after Xmas) with someoine who has even half the ability of Kun.
Christ, even Benteke is scoring now!
 
Got what we deserved. Far too passive and slow, with only the boys at back trying to at least get us moving.

The midfield was a joke, Gundo and Kev both wanting to play in the ten, leaving a legs gone Fern to try and patchwork quilt it.

De Bruyne, Sterling and Mahrez were shocking and Pep deserved better from all of them against a team who also rested their best two players in Rice and Antonio.

Kev clearly isn't kidding Pep, either.

I believe he was making a clear point by removing him before the penalties.

Fit or not, his simple decision making hasn't been there for a while.

As for Raheem pulling out of 50/50 challenges now, I hope that is self-preservation ahead of him thinking he has a move on the horizon.

Some of our players are making it easy for Pep to know what his best team is, as others are being left behind.
Didn't see Pep doing his nut and jumping up and down as normal either. Normally, a display like that would have him hopping about like a demented frog.
 
It was nothing like as bad as is being made out on here in some quarters. We played our reserves, bossed the match from start to finish, were a bit sloppy with the final ball, couldn't score and lost on penalties.

I couldn't give a damn to be honest. It might be a blessing in disguise if the premier league stays close.
 
Reflecting on last night's performance we got exactly what we deserved. The only positive was we look to have found another prospect for the future however the negatives Fernandinho unfortunately is finished at this level and Sterling needs to be shown the door more worryingly is the form of De bruyne he Is struggling and looks half fit

West Ham didn’t get what they deserved either in that case! A team at home not overcommitting while we played the Better football stone had a good shot and well saved gundogan should of scored plus a few other opportunities while West Ham has what 1 maybe 2 chances and at home a top four team!?
 
we where by far the better team, a goal or 2 and we would all have been saying dominant again. Not worried at all, fely robbed by a team playing for penalties in the cup at home. For a supposed up and coming london force thats crap. I do like west ham, i dont like moyes tactics. for their fans i hope they win it.

sterling, thanks for confirming you need to leave, next game fa cup.

KDB, some give him stick, he was lapse at times but better than last few games, he will come good.

Mahrez, put your shooting bots back on.

Gundo, you had good chances for 2 goals, what happened in the second half in front of goal, he looked like a defender edging it safely for the keeper !

beaten by PSG & now pens at west ham when we where the better team in both games. So not worried at all about our performance. Just a day we didnt convert chances and missed bernardo.
 
West Ham didn’t get what they deserved either in that case! A team at home not overcommitting while we played the Better football stone had a good shot and well saved gundogan should of scored plus a few other opportunities while West Ham has what 1 maybe 2 chances and at home a top four team!?

got it in one there, where was this top 4 "talksport" team ?

Moyes is negative, i feel for west ham fans. Get him back at salford :-)
 

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