West Ham United just can’t get into gear – and now they’ll have to do so without key player Mohammed Kudus for even longer.
At least Mohammed Kudus had a tantrum on Saturday that would have been fitting in some action movie. When the score was already 1-4 in the city derby at Tottenham Hotspur – the eventual final result – the Ghanaian international first kicked the former Wolfsburg player Micky van de Ven, who was lying on the ground, at least lightly, thus triggering a scrum with further misses: When the Spurs defender stood again and pushed Kudus to the question, the latter also reached the former’s face and then also approached Richarlison and Pape Sarr.
Only after VAR use does Referee Madley show red
Ultimately, three Spurs players were down, which referee Andrew Madley initially punished with a yellow card and only after viewing the TV images with the deserved red card, which Kudus accepted without further discussion. It is to be assumed that the 24-year-old winger will get more than the usual three-game suspension.
For the Hammers and coach Lopetegui, this would be another serious setback. Kudus, who scored the opening goal in the 18th minute, was not only one of the best players for the visitors on Saturday, who are bottom of the table with just two wins in eight games and 15 goals conceded already.
After the change of coach and the costly squad reorganization in the summer, for which Technical Director Tim Steidten was primarily responsible, it was clear on the one hand that the team would need a little time to find each other. On the other hand, the pressure of expectation increased. Summer signing Füllkrug, who is yet to score a goal and has been out for weeks with calf and Achilles tendon problems, had even dreamt of qualifying for the Champions League. It is currently uncertain whether the former Dortmund player will be back in the squad for the game against Manchester United on Sunday. Kudus will definitely be missing.
