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West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has heaped praise on an “underrated” teammate and insists he can become “very important” this season.
West Ham 1-0 Olympiacos
Hammers boss David Moyes avenged his loss in Greece with a 1-0 win over Olympiacos on Thursday night. Lucas Paqueta scored the only goal of the game to send West Ham joint-top of their Europa League group and on the cusp of knockout round action, coming after their Conference League triumph in May.
West Ham’s fine European form continues and it is a result which eases some pressure off their head coach, amid reports Moyes could leave after nearly four years in the dug out.
“It’s good to get back on track. Olympiacos are a seasoned European team and they showed that tonight,” said Moyes to the press afterwards (via BBC).
“We’re top of the group, we still have two matches to play but I think this is the hardest group we’ve had. Europe has been great for this football club, we’ve had some great nights and long may they continue.
“He [Lucas Paqueta] took the goal brilliantly tonight but there were lots of things I wanted him to do better. We’ve got room for improvement.”
West Ham next take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday at 2pm, a match which will again be crucial for Moyes as it represents a chance to turn around their dismal top flight form of late.
One man who played a heavy hand in West Ham’s victory at the London Stadium in midweek was summer signing James Ward-Prowse, who provided the assist for Paqueta 17 minutes from full time.
Fabianski tips Ward-Prowse for stardom
The Englishman yet again missed out on Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Moldova and North Macedonia, which is arguably harsh considering his form this season.
Ward-Prowse has two goals and three assists to his name in the league alone, with Man City’s Kalvin Phillips barely playing a minute yet getting the nod over him.
Fabianski is in no doubt over the 29-year-old’s quality, though, insisting he can be an “important” player for the Irons.
“I think as players, we know,” said Fabianski on Ward-Prowse (via The Standard). “Even when he was at Southampton, we knew that he was a really good player on the ball, in terms of controlling the tempo of the game, the passing game he has and today with a beautiful assist.
“We always knew the quality he had and we see it even more now he’s in our team. Hopefully, he can stay at this level for a long, long time and be a very important player for us — from set-pieces and playmaking on the pitch.”
Ward-Prowse strengths |
---|
Set pieces |
Direct free kicks |
Passing |
Long shots |
Finishing |
Ball interception |
Concentration |
(via WhoScored) |
The former Southampton star, during his time at St. Mary’s Stadium, was also called a very “underrated” player by Sky pundit Micah Richards.
“He’s the most underrated player in the Premier League for years,” said Richards (via Yahoo Sport).
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