West Ham manager David Moyes has inadvertently raised concerns about the workload of midfielder Tomas Soucek due to the high number of games he’s been playing, writes the Hammer.News.
Tomas Soucek has been in excellent form for West Ham this season, showing a remarkable resurgence compared to his struggles in the previous campaign. Despite facing difficulties in form and confidence last season, the 28-year-old Czech Republic international has found his rhythm again, with the departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal opening up more opportunities for him.
Already this season, Soucek has scored three goals, which matches his total for the entire 2022/23 campaign. His resurgence has been a significant positive for West Ham, but there may be concerns about overplaying him, especially given the team’s reliance on his aerial ability.
David Moyes, the West Ham boss, seemed to inadvertently suggest that Soucek might be feeling the effects of playing numerous games. After West Ham’s 2-0 victory over Sheffield United at the London Stadium, Moyes addressed the media and provided insight into why his team appeared to lose steam towards the end of the match. Moyes stated, “There were things we liked in the first half with the chances we made, but in the second half, we looked as if we just ran out of energy. Maybe the midweek League Cup game took its toll, not just generally on all the players, but particularly on some of them.”
Soucek is the only player who started both the midweek League Cup game and the Premier League clash against Sheffield United, suggesting that Moyes was referring to him in particular.
Since joining West Ham on loan in January 2020, Soucek has played an astonishing 163 games for Moyes’s side in just 3.5 years. Given Moyes’s apparent concerns about Soucek’s fatigue, it might be wise for the manager to consider resting him for Thursday’s Europa League clash against Freiburg to ensure the midfielder remains fresh and injury-free for the long season ahead.