Green Street Hammers
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West Ham fullbacks rise to the challenge in narrow loss to Manchester City

By Scott Johnson

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 31: Ryan Fredericks of West Ham United during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on October 31, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 31: Ryan Fredericks of West Ham United during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on October 31, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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West Ham may have lost to City last night, but it wasn’t a crushing defeat. It was the closest we’ve come to Guardiola’s City, and the fullbacks were a big part of it.

Like most people I wasn’t exactly the most confident of West Ham fans going into the City game, and when we saw the teamsheet I think most of us were even less confident. Carroll up top and captain, Obiang in the middle and young debutant Ben Johnson in the left back position. Surely a hiding was on its way?

However if it hadn’t been for a dubious penalty the Hammers may have come away with a valiant draw, and for me it was the fullbacks that made it possible. City have such devastating attacks down the wings in most games that teams can’t cope. But through a combination of good positioning and gutsy defending, Fredericks and Johnson dealt with the challenges impeccably well.

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I should state that Mahrez had an awful game, but to do so takes away from the challenge in front of Johnson. Here he was starting his first Premier League game due to injuries to the senior left backs, facing a player who fired a Leicester side to an incredible league win. He could have easily buckled under pressure, but he didn’t, and Johnson saw that Mahrez had very little impact on the match, even when he wasn’t offside. For a first outing, Johnson was mightily impressive.

But my man of the match was Fredericks. Apart from the time Sane started a run from his own half and the Englishman tried to bring him down cynically, he did everything right. He was tight when he needed to be, disciplined in the back line when necessary and also completely willing to put on the after burners to recover time and time again. He nipped the ball away from Sterling late on as well as clearing the ball off the line after a shot had beaten Fabianski. He was everywhere he needed to be, and has to be one of the most improved players of the season.

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Respect to Pellegrini for playing a system that was forced on him with a number of injuries, and his trust in his players is obvious. Fredericks will continue to improve under his guidance, as long as he can steer clear of injuries, and after being considered a weakness our fullbacks shone against one of the best teams in the world. There was a lot of promise on show.