By Louis Nixon
Upon the latest news regarding defenders for the Hammers, it begs the question which of the available defenders should start against Leeds tonight at Elland Road.
The defenders that the Hammers have available to them as a potential to start would be Kilman, Todibo and Igor. Nuno could also have the option of playing Magassa there, or maybe even Soucek. Youngster Golambeckis has just signed a new contract and could be someone Nuno may give a chance to.
Throughout Nuno’s three game spell, we’ve only seen the likes of Kilman and Todibo make appearances in the central defence position, but after last time out, with Kilman’s zero tackles across a match, it feels destined for a change to be made.
Could Nuno line up with three central defenders against Leeds tonight?
At Monaco, Songoutou Magassa made numerous appearance’s playing central defender so there’s certainly a possibility that he could lineup alongside two others, but the main cause for concern would be could the Frenchman handle and soak up the pressure?
The alternative option, would be Tomas Soucek. Though Tomas has his moments of madness and rash decisions, such as his tackle against Spurs, he’s also proven that he could defend and playing in a defensive role alongside others could certainly work and help sure up the defence.
A shock appearance for Golambeckis could also occur but the likelihood is minimal seeing as Igor, Soucek and Magassa would all be option to consider ahead of the 17 year old.
His immense amount of talent is certainly not something to underrate, but when push comes to shove, putting in someone so young as a starting defender could ultimately see him sink rather than swim.
Finally, and the player who is the most likely to participate for the starting squad tonight is Igor, the Brighton loanee has seen minimal minutes since his arrival on deadline day but recently has impressed in training. His physical presence is something that the Hammers have been missing and on a tough Friday night, he could help the Hammers’ defensive woes.
In my opinion, with the loss of Mavropanos and the disappointing defensive performance from Kilman on Monday night, a defensive two of Todibo and Igor or a defensive three which would see the likes of Magassa start would ultimately be the best choices in my opinion.
It’s all now down to Nuno to select the starting defence, but the selection could ultimately shape the result of this game in its entirety which is exactly what we saw on Monday night.
