West Ham’s second game back in the Championship left more questions than answers after another concerning performance.
West Ham player ratings vs Charlton: Piroe nets, Kante falters
An underwhelming showing on their league return to the London Stadium (Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images)
A meeting with London rivals Charlton Athletic, who had narrowly escaped relegation last season, provided the Hammers with the ideal platform to get their campaign off the ground.
Three new signings during the week, two of whom made their debuts in Arne Engels and Joel Piroe, only added to the hope that West Ham would deliver a commanding display against Nathan Jones’ side.
However, Lloyd Jones and Tyrese Campbell had other ideas with Piroe’s strike on debut proving futile in a smash-and-grab victory for the visitors, one in which they marshalled their box superbly throughout.
The centre-back broke the deadlock (Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images)
The centre-back broke the deadlock (Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images)
A lifeline from the spot courtesy of Taty Castellanos, which couldn’t be converted, poured further misery on West Ham who were given a stark reminder of the scale of the challenge which lies ahead of them in their quest for promotion.
Just three changes from the bench, which featured three unproven academy prospects, mirrored their Turf Moor curtain-raiser. Such a result may force the West Ham hierarchy into making further additions in the closing stages of the window to bolster a depleted squad in several departments.
Starting XI
Mads Hermansen - 4/10
The Danish shot-stopper’s reflexes let him down as he failed to deny Jones’ opener with his overhead kick lacking pace on the ball. Campbell’s strike was a pearler, yet his positioning was left to be desired as he appeared too far across from the bottom-right corner.
Kyle Walker-Peters - 4/10
Charlton’s game plan of playing on the counter meant West Ham were susceptible to being dispossessed in dangerous positions and Walker-Peters was repeatedly found via this route. He would have been grateful Campbell was interchanging between opposite flanks, as the tricky forward was having a field day against the ex-Southampton defender.
Konstantinos Mavropanos - 3/10
The architect of the visitors doubling their lead, his lack of awareness of the oncoming Miles Leaburn was uncharacteristic of the Greek defender who is so often imperious in such situations.
The ex-Arsenal defender struggled to contain the lively Leaburn (Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images)
The ex-Arsenal defender struggled to contain the lively Leaburn (Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images)
Max Kilman - 4/10
An encouraging performance at Bunrley offered Kilman the opportunity to put a poor Premier League campaign well and truly behind him. However, he returned to old habits with a lack of composure on the ball and was always a yard away from an Addicks forward.
Ollie Scarles - 4/10
The academy graduate showed glimpses of promising signs last season, but it is becoming abundantly clear that he is being found out at this level. Like Walker-Peters, the 22-year-old struggled to contain Campbell and offered very little in both boxes.
Arne Engels - 5/10
It was a below-par performance from the Championship-record signing with a handful of misplaced passes, yet showed on several occasions his desire to play forward as opposed to completing ‘safe’ passes. Celtic fans repeatedly questioned his mentality during the big moments and he certainly needs to adapt quickly to his new surroundings given their dire predicament.
Work to do after a disappointing debut (Photo by Pedro Porru/MB Media/Getty Images)
Work to do after a disappointing debut (Photo by Pedro Porru/MB Media/Getty Images)
Mohamadou Kante - 3/10
The fact that the young Frenchman was hooked at half-time speaks volumes about his first-half showing and how much he struggled defensively in Charlton’s superb first-half showing. Although he offers a threat going forward with his 6′ 5″ frame as shown against Burnley, Kante was repeatedly exposed in the middle of the park.
Jarrod Bowen - 5/10
Despite a quiet first-half, the captain was a bright spark following Charlton’s second and was a key part in getting his side back into the contest with several dangerous deliveries into the box. However, it was a surprising move when Castellanos stepped up to take the penalty, given that responsibility tends to fall to the 29-year-old.
Manor Solomon - 4/10
The Israeli international was single-handedly carrying West Ham’s first-half hopes, if there were any, and was their only source of threat on the left-hand side of attack. However, his play became predictable, which was quickly sussed out by the Charlton backline.
Taty Castellanos - 4/10
Having appeared disinterested in their second-tier opener, the ex-Lazio forward produced another below-par showing and perhaps indicating his head is elsewhere. His stuttering penalty run-up, which rarely bears fruit for any players, saw him strike the post and he had a handful of good half-chances to get his side back into the game but failed to make the most of them.
Failing to convert from 12 yards (Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images)
Failing to convert from 12 yards (Photo by James Fearn/Getty Images)
Joel Piroe - 5/10
It wouldn’t be harsh to say many hadn’t realised their Leeds United loanee was making his debut as he had next to no impact in the opening period with his incredibly deep position, instead of leading the line. His poacher’s goal to level offered a sign of what he could snaffle up this term with his predatory instincts set to make him a constant menace in the box.
Substitutes
Lewis Orford - 5/10
Brought on at the break to try and give the Hammers more control in the middle of the park, the young midfielder upped the tempo and one of the few players who can head home with their head held high. Orford was vital in dictating play and showed he is a much more influential ball-progresser than Kante who he replaced.
Joel Veltman - 4/10
Introduced with 20 minutes remaining, the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion fan favourite had little to do defensively with the hosts dominating the majority of the ball in the closing stages. An assured performance given the chaos surrounding him though has certainly strengthened his case to start at Southampton on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup.
Divine Mukasa - 4/10
Returning to the club he joined aged five (Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Returning to the club he joined aged five (Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Arriving from Manchester City on a season-long loan deal during the week, the Newham-born attacking midfielder showed glimpses of his intricate attacking play in the final third but his brief cameo meant he was unable to make much of an impact.