In front of a Championship record-setting 62,500 fans at the London Stadium, West Ham have received a wake-up call in the 1-2 loss to Charlton. The first goal came just minutes into the game, off a long throw which saw little to no contest from centre-back Max Kilman - something that's becoming a consistent habit for the 27-year-old defender. Then his defensive partner, Konstantinos Mavropanos, lost possession and allowed the second goal of the match.
In the second half, Nuno Espírito Santo took out Mohamadou Kanté for Lewis Orford, to no avail. He then brought on Veltman and former WHU Academy player Divine Mukasa for Mavropanos and Scarles, switching to a back three. Our attack held strong, getting in over 25 total shots and finally a late goal from Joel Piroe, and from there we began to take charge and eventually won a penalty in the 91st minute. Yet, Taty Castellanos missed off the goalpost, which fully encapsulates the result for the day. A lackluster performance from a lackluster side that needs signings.
Player Ratings:
Mads Hermansen - 5: Offered nothing special; both goals were saveable, although not necessarily ideal or his fault. Had a stretching save in the second half, which showed some quality.
Kyle Walker-Peters - 5: Wasn’t good enough against a side he should be better than; didn’t offer much in attack or defense. Didn’t realize he was there unless the ball was passed behind him.
Max Killman - 4: Out of position, can’t clear the box; the first goal was uncontested by him, as he has a tendency to stand around and let things happen. Yellow card in the second half.
Konstantinos Mavropanos - 4: Looks worse next to Killman (as opposed to Disasi); he is a workhorse but doesn’t look into the game. He got caught waiting around in possession, which led to the second goal of the match.
Ollie Scarles - 4: Lackluster performance after his last match, had a similar unwarranted challenge again in the second half, which led to him being taken off.
Mohamadou Kante - 5: Didn’t necessarily play well; he didn’t do much in the first half and was replaced at the start of the second half.
Arne Engels - 6: Still looks to be getting his bearings; also didn’t do much in the first half. But seemed to come together more in the second half, also did well to dictate the ball and reset the attack, making good use of his head on the ball.
Jarrod Bowen - 6: Relentless in attack, but lacked the finished product in today’s match. Also left us confused as to why he isn’t taking our penalties. He showed fight, but couldn’t get it done against Charlton.
Manor Solomon - 7: One of the bright sparks of the game, he seemed to always be creating chances and continuously putting the ball into the box for our strikers. His pace was too much for the Charlton defenders, and in the second half, Nuno let him roam around the pitch in attack. Yet it still wasn’t enough to win us the match.
Joel Piroe - 6: Had spells where he looked lost in the first half, but began to find his footing in the second half, scoring a goal off a rebound from the keeper. He seemed relentless in pushing the attack, although it seemed he was dropping back in attack more often than you would have expected - but it isn't unusual for Nuno to have/expect his strikers to do this.
Taty Castellanos - 5: He continuously tries and puts himself into great positions to score, but lacks the product to finish consistently. He had a few sky rockets and a missed penalty in the 91st minute, ricocheting off the outside of the post.
Lewis Orford (SUB) - 5: Coming on at the start of the second half, Nuno had him set up a lot deeper than we have normally seen him play. Orford did alright, but didn’t do much to affect the game. He made a couple of forward passes and had a few errant ones too, but all in due time for the young Hammer as he gets more experience in the first team.
Divine Mukasa (SUB) - 5: Came on in the second half around the 69th minute; he had a great shot attempt that was followed by a fantastic save from the Charlton keeper. He seems to put himself in good positions, although he looks slow on the ball and hesitates frequently as he holds up play.
Joel Veltman (SUB) - 5: Came on in the second half around the 69th minute; Nuno used him as a center back in a back 3. He also didn’t do much to affect the game, with only about 25 minutes played.
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