Guillem Balague seems to be sticking his nose into West Ham United’s business quite regularly this season.
But this time he did it in a positive way…with a slightly condescending twist.
Guillem Balague has always been a staunch supporter of West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui.
The Spaniard heavily criticised the Hammers fans back in September, when he accused us of ‘not being able to see past our noses’, regarding Lopetegui’s future vision.
That came after he championed Lopetegui for the West Ham job back in May.
He sat back and remained silent throughout our awful run of form up until our win over Newcastle on Monday night.
West Ham United's Spanish midfielder #04 Carlos Soler (L) West Ham United's Dutch striker #07 Crysencio Summerville (C) and West Ham United's Mexic...
Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
However, he predictably took to social media after the Hammers’ 2-0 win at St James’ Park, with another thinly-veiled dig at the fans.
Now Balague has praised one West Ham star’s performance, although he couldn’t finish the message without taking a sly pop at us yet again…
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Guillem Balague lauds West Ham ace after Newcastle display
The Spanish football expert was hugely complimentary of Carlos Soler, after his countryman made just his second Premier League start of the season for the Hammers.
In fairness, our criticism of Soler has been knee-jerk in the extreme.
He clearly wasn’t fully fit when he arrived at the London Stadium, and Monday’s clash with Newcastle was only his second start for West Ham.
I’m sure he will come good if given a regular run of games in the starting lineup.
And Balague echoed that sentiment on his official X account:
CBS Sports pundit Guillem Balague during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between Aston Villa FC and FC Bayern München at V...
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
“Carlos Soler had his best game with West Ham against Newcastle. Started in a double pivot/central midfielder with Paqueta, his second start of the season, both wins (Man U the other one). He reminded me of the best Soler with Valencia and the national side. 90% accurate passes, touched the ball 63 times, he even had two chances.“
However, the Spaniard couldn’t resist a cheeky dig at the West Ham fans, with his patronising final sentence…
“The puzzle is becoming clearer for Lopetegui. Like everything in life, getting a team playing in a different style takes time, it is a process. These that appreciate that will enjoy the journey.“
I agree with Balague that Soler will be a very good player for us this season.
He looked so much sharper, quicker and more energetic during our win over Newcastle on Monday night.
Carlos Soler can be a key player for West Ham this season, what with his incredible technical ability and wonderful array of passing.
Guillem Balague is clearly a big fan of West Ham United’s on-loan midfielder.
However, the same can’t be said of his feelings towards the Hammers fans, clearly!
That final sentence was clearly aimed at the West Ham fans for criticising his old mate Lopetegui.
Let’s see what happens in the long run – I suspect we will still be proven right about the 58-year-old.
Related Posts