“Went Better Than Expected.” From unconvincing team selection to runaway victors as West Ham thump Ipswich

One of the great innovations of the 2024/25 Premier League season is the unveiling of team sheets 75 minutes before scheduled kick-off time. It provides an additional 15 minutes in which to fume over the idiocy of the coach’s latest selection brain fog and to share those frustrations to all and sundry on social media.

And so it was that a collective “what is he thinking?” reverberated around the London Stadium when confirmation was received that Julen Lopetegui would keep faith with the same eleven who performed so inadequately in the first half at Brentford the week before. Edson Alvarez returned from suspension but only to a seat on the bench, while Andy Irvine could celebrate his call-up by Scotland by being omitted completely from the matchday squad.

Already, I was planning the article headline that would follow a fourth consecutive home defeat by the visitors from Suffolk. “Tractor (rather than Taxi) for Mr Lopetegui” might be appropriate given the identity of the opposition. The extra 15 minutes even allowed time to invent an imaginary agricultural vehicle ride hailing app know as TUber!

The pre-match gloom, however, was quickly shattered when the Hammers joined the growing trend for scoring first minute goals. It was a move initiated by one pantomime villain – Tomas Soucek – and finished by another, as Michail Antonio anticipated Jarrod Bowen’s cross to stroke the ball into the net. The goal even featured a contribution from the hapless Kalvin Phillips who meekly conceded possession and belatedly made a positive impact to the West Ham cause.

Despite the visitor’s early equaliser – a shocking example of token defending by Lucas Paqueta – West Ham were the more dangerous side throughout. Even if the intensity ebbed and flowed during different phases of the match, the Hammers were largely in control. Other than set pieces and crosses, Ipswich posed few problems for the home defence where the axis of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo has the hallmarks of a promising partnership.

I sensed two significant tactical adjustments introduced by Lopetegui for the game. The first was a more obvious and balanced representation of the 4-1-4-1 formation which better suited the cast on the pitch. Guido Rodriguez played the anchor role effectively (albeit without spectacle), dropping into a back three as required and giving the full backs greater licence to roam. The second was an intent to move the ball forward quickly wherever possible. This was the tactic mistakenly branded as long ball by the Ipswich manager in his post-match gripe. It was a perfect example of West Ham playing on their toes (at last). It particularly plays to the strengths of Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus who arre at their most dangerous when attacking the space in front of them. It was also reassuring to see them more active inside the opposition box when the full backs provided width.

We should also mention a further deciding factor which was that McKenna clearly thought his side could win the game and heap further pressure on the struggling hosts. Gone was the caution that had underpinned their performances against Brighton and Villa to be replaced by an adventurous high-line that on the day played directly into the West Ham hands.

Despite a creditable all-round team performance by West Ham, it was amusing to read some of the ratings on the clickbait websites who appear contractually obliged to have a scapegoat highlighted in their misleading headline. This week, Aaron Wan-Bissaka – who put in a very decent performance in my eyes – was singled out for a 3/10 rating and summed up as ‘Useless’. At least they didn’t say ‘he stunk the place out’.  

Surprise package of the afternoon was probably Antonio who rolled back the years in causing grief to the Ipswich defenders – at least until he tired just after the hour mark. It was good to see but does excuse the fact that the club has so few options in this critical position.

The greatest concern is the indifferent form of Paqueta who continues to play without the creative spark that we know he can offer . No doubt the ongoing betting scandal – and the prospect of a lifetime ban – will be playing on his mind but he needs to sort out his antics and attitude. There is a point in every game where he loses possession to a fair challenge but goes down as if struck by a thunderbolt as the game continues around him. Is he now only being picked because there is no viable alternative. Although Carlos Soler might have been signed as a positional alternative, all we have seen so far is a player content to make short 5-yard passes.

Goalkeepers have been increasingly in the news recently, not because of their shot stopping antics but due to calamatous bloopers when attempting to play out from the back. It has been puzzling listening to pundits crticising keepers for having an inflated sense of their ball-playing abilities when in fact all the short passing around the box is done under instruction, rather than by choice. It is abundantly clear how uncomfortable our own keeper, Alphonse Areola, is with the concept. But he will know that it will incur the wrath of the data guy and his iPad if he doesn’t go along with the craziness.    

One interesting aspect of West Ham’s four goals is that only one – the first – is credited with an assist. I’ve never been a fan of the assist concept in that it is no more than identifying the previous teammate to touch the ball before a goal is scored, regardless of theusefulness of their input. So, there can no assist for Emerson’s fine run and cross or Antonio’s powerful header before the Kudus goal because the ball had hit the bar. And no assist for Bowen on the Paqueta goal, presumably because the ball brushed an Ipswich sock on its path across goal.

It was a welcome first home win for Lopetegui and three points which give the table a more respectable look going into the international break. The question is whether the team can build on it when the games resume. Was it a West Ham performance that demonstrated clear signs of improvement under a new regime or merely a victory against a naïve opponent who got their tactics wrong on the day? We often read or hear in the media about corners being turned in football – usually about Manchester United who turn so many corners in a season that they end up back where they started – but we must wait for two weeks and a trip to the Spursy Stadium for the next instalment. Although I’ve not checked the results, my instinct is that West Ham retrun from these breaks with a below par performance.  

At least we have a feel-good factor to carry us through the next empty weekend. COYI!