Crysencio Summerville, West Ham
Crysencio Summerville, West Ham winger. Credit: @westham on Instagram
Harri Burton
Mon 16 December 2024 18:57, UK
Julen Lopetegui’s decision to drop Crysencio Summerville could come back to bite him as West Ham face Bournemouth on Monday.
The Hammers travel to the Vitality Stadium on 16 December, making two changes from the 2-1 win over Wolves last time out, seeing Crysencio Summerville drop to the bench and Emerson disappear completely.
Instead, Vladimir Coufal comes back into the fold, a decision which could come with regret too, while Lucas Paqueta replaces the flying winger, confirmed via the club’s X account.
While Summerville has only notched one goal and one assist in the Premier League since his summer move from Leeds United, he has been a welcome addition to the squad.
Paqueta, on the other hand, has been almost invisible whenever on the pitch so it begs the question as to why Lopetegui has made that change for a difficult clash against the Cherries.
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While Lopetegui is unlikely to be sacked should the Hammers face defeat at the Vitality Stadium [Sean Whetstone], they must build upon their 2-1 win against Wolves last time out.
The team is still just six points above the relegation zone after 15 matches, which is totally unacceptable for a club such as West Ham, so the head coach is fairly under pressure.
With Jean-Clair Tobido absent from the squad, Lopetegui has been handed a blow before the game has even kicked off, though he has made it much harder for himself by dropping Summerville.
The Cherries have risen to seventh in the Premier League table, with only a handful of teams conceding fewer goals so far, so the winger’s absence could make a big difference in a game like this.
Lopetegui must hope that the decision does not hinder the team in the final third and that Paqueta is firing on all cylinders, having been dropped against Leicester City and Wolves.
In other West Ham news, Andy Goldstein was astonished by what Darren Bent said about the Hammers live on air.
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