By Louis Nixon
**After suffering yet another loss this season, much criticism was given to the likes of Todibo and Kilman, who were the central defenders for the 90.**
Upon the Newcastle fixture, many have now come to terms with believing that the dreaded duo simply aren’t Premier League standard, and changes need to be made.
But what options do the Hammers have come team selection?
Unfortunately, Mavropanos suffered an injury against Brentford, and despite hearing no further information, it’s appearing more and more likely that it’s long-term, which has ultimately left Nuno to believe our strongest pairing is Kilman and Todibo.
Yet Igor is a name that is continually brought up, but never managed to wriggle his way into the starting squad. He did, however manage to make the bench against Leeds, so potentially a start could be on the cards against a physically based Newcastle side, subsequently meaning we’d be playing to his strengths.
My ideal pairing comes Sunday would be Igor and Magassa. Whilst neither has started a game together, and it is very risky, trying something new is the only way we’ll be able to potentially have a chance at getting a result.
Magassa has previously played central defender for Monaco, meaning it’s a true possibility that Nuno might decide to play him there, considering he was interested in the Frenchman whilst he was managing Nottingham Forest and truly understands the capabilities he has.
Some fans might be opportunistic and suggest that Golambeckis should start, but chucking someone that young into a Premier League game could, on the off chance, see him thrive, but it’s a higher probability he’d sink and have his confidence ruined for the foreseeable future.
Kilman and Todibo have played the majority of matches together, and consistently, we concede far too many goals for any ‘world-class’ Premier League team that has any sort of ambitions.
Therefore, Igor and Magassa have to start just to give us a slither of hope, considering it can’t get much worse than what it is currently.