West Ham’s under-fire manager Graham Potter goes into tomorrow’s away fixture at Nottingham Forest with members of his match day squad claimed to be ‘unwilling to play’ and attempting to bully their way towards an exit on their terms before deadline day.
Controversial player power in action. If the stories are true that Lucas Paquetá and defender Nayef Aguerd are refusing to play tomorrow then Graham Potter’s hand is forced.
He will now be in a situation whereby Mateus Fernandes has to go straight into the midfield : One training session will not have bedded the Portuguese u21 midfielder into the side but he’s match fit having already played for Southampton in the championship and undertaken a full preseason.
Most Read on West Ham News
A more mobile midfield with Potts, Fernandes and – sigh – James Ward Prowse looks infinitely better than last week’s tried and failed variant. In addition Nayef Aguerd going on strike will be music to the ears of Hammers fans who’ll be hoping to see Potter move to a back four – without Aguerd this is the obvious formation shift and will be welcomed by a team struggling to keep goals out and progress the ball up the pitch.
It is too much to hope for that West Ham will set up in a 4-3-3 formation but just jettisoning the 5 at the back defensive style which hasn’t worked and has so far cost 11 goals in three games – many be the silver lining to the Nayef Aguerd -shaped black cloud.
The one choice where I don’t envy the Hammers manager is who to put between the posts: Potter’s stubborn nature would suggest ‘his’ pick Mads Hermansen should regain his place but common sense dictates Alphonse Areola should start. But the prospect of watching a West Ham side set up in anything other than the ‘failed’ 5-3-2 formation suddenly seems a price worth paying for the outbreak of ‘want-away-ism’ at London Stadium.