Julen Lopetegui suggests what struggling midfielder needs to improve
- Alvarez has struggled for form and fitness this season.
- Julen Lopetegui suggests what Edson Alvarez needs to improve.
By Rahul Das
Similar to star forward Mohammed Kudus, Edson Alvarez also joined West Ham last year and had a great debut season at the London Stadium. However, the 26-year-old midfielder picked up a hamstring injury in the Copa America 2024, and hasn't been in his best form after recovering from that injury. Last month, manager Julen Lopetegui started Alvarez as a third centre-back against Chelsea, however, the defensive midfielder struggled to keep up with the pace of star forwards Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer throughout the match.
In the following Carabao Cup third round match, Alvarez received a red card in the second half and Liverpool registered a massive 5-1 win against West Ham. Alvarez's recent performances haven't been much convincing and thus, can get less playing time in the upcoming matches, due to Tomas Soucek’s impressive displays in the previous two league fixtures. Further, Serie A side Milan are also rumoured to be considering signing Alvarez in a swap deal with West Ham involving Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Julen Lopetegui suggests what struggling midfielder needs to improve
Hence, there are speculations regarding Alvarez's exit from West Ham amid his underwhelming Premier League performances in the recent weeks. However, that may not be the case as manager Julen Lopetegui recently talked about Alvarez and revealed that the Mexico international is an important part of the squad. Moreover, Lopetegui suggested a key area which Alvarez needs to improve to play a crucial role for West Ham, saying,
"He’s a boy with a lot of energy and he has to be able to manage it in the best possible way. Without a doubt he’s an important player for us.
- Julen Lopetegui
We are also working on it, and he is aware of that circumstance, and every time I’m sure he’s going to be a better player and help us more, without any doubt."
Alvarez has often made some unnecessary mistimed tackles, which has led West Ham to defend a lot of set-pieces from around the edge of the box. Thus, Alvarez needs to work on his tackling ability and also improve his pace, to form a balanced midfield formation alongside Guido Rodriguez and Tomas Soucek.
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