The reason why Mohammed Kudus was substituted at half time in the 1-1 draw
West Ham managed to pick up a point from the 1-1 draw despite conceding an early goal against Brentford in the sixth Premier League matchday. Although this is a decent result considering the away fixture, the Hammers could have improved their goal scoring efforts after the equaliser to aim for the win. One of the biggest reasons for this can be West Ham's more defensive approach to the game inside the final half an hour of the second half.
Another reason can be manager Julen Lopetegui's tactics to substitute star forward Mohammed Kudus after half-time. While Kudus hasn't been at his level best this season, he is one of the key players in the Hammers attack and made a lot of advancing runs inside the final third to find an equaliser in the first half. Therefore, this decision has been surprising and after the match, The Athletic journalist Roshane Thomas has reported about the former UEFA Europa League winning manager's decision to substitute the 24-year-old, saying,
The reason why Mohammed Kudus was substituted at half time in the 1-1 draw
"Lopetegui says he brought off Kudus at HT for tactical reasons."
- Roshane Thomas
While West Ham weren't impressive at creating chances throughout the match, the addition of Carlos Soler, in place of the former Ajax star provided more calm and composure to the midfield. In the second half, Soler and Tomas Soucek helped West Ham in having more defensive solidity as well as completing more successful passes inside the Brentford half. Soucek was one of the best players for West Ham in this match and scored the 1-1 equalising goal, but it was another underwhelming display from West Ham after Kudus's substitution.
Next. Tomas Soucek scores equaliser as West Ham draw 1-1 with Brentford. Tomas Soucek scores equaliser as West Ham draw 1-1 with Brentford. dark
Despite having star forwards such as Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus, manager Julen Lopetegui is yet to find the best lineup in order for these elite forwards to display their best performance this season. Now it remains to be seen whether Lopetegui will make some tactical changes in the upcoming matches after this 1-1 draw.
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