By Louis Nixon

Soungoutou Magassa had yet again another impressive performance vs Aston Villa, despite the final result and Nuno will now have to make his verdict. 

Upon the lineup being released, many speculated that it was a ‘near perfect’ team and part of that was due to seeing our midfield trio in Magassa, Potts and Fernandes all start and unsurprisingly, all having win-worthy performances. 

Soungoutou Magassa’s return to the first team meant that Wilson had to be dropped and the Hammers started the game without a number 9, which would prove to be costly throughout the game, but, considering how successful we were in the midfield for 95% of the game, you’d have to say that it was the correct decision to start the Frenchman. 

Let’s not forget that only a few months ago, many thought with the players we had that you wouldn’t be able to put together a midfield… now it’s one of the better aspects, and the struggles are elsewhere! 

Throughout the 80 minutes he played, Magassa made the most defensive contributions across the pitch, securing 15 of them, as well as making the most passes into the final third with 7, which makes you realise how crucial the Frenchman has become in driving the ball up the field, in comparison to others who sometimes can be a bit too conservative in the wrong moments. 

I think that to drop Magassa for future games would be a ludicrous action given what he provides for the team, and whilst Wilson’s impact is still required, it shouldn’t be one of Potts, Magassa or Fernandes to make way for him. It’s incredibly refreshing to see a midfielder such as Magassa who persistently wants to get stuck in and wants to move the ball forward. 

We might not have walked away with anything against Aston Villa, but Magassa’s defensive performance helped prevent it from being more. Against Manchester City, the young Frenchman has to start.