Lopetegui must unleash West Ham ace who shone for his country

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West Ham United have struggled throughout their opening few months to life under Julen Lopetegui, though the Irons did score a statement 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town in the Premier League before the October international break.

Only time will tell if a slow start will fade into the recesses of West Ham’s season, with striking football and impressive results taking precedence and proving technical director Tim Steidten’s recruitment acumen, head coach and £120m’s worth of new first-team signings coming together.

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For all the new talent at the London Stadium, David Moyes left behind a tried-and-tested squad that had enjoyed three successive years in European competition and had even won the Conference League in 2022/23.

Vladimir Coufal, while entering the later stage of his career showcased for his nation on Friday night that he’s still a top-class player, and deserves more game time with the Irons.

Vladimir Coufal’s performance vs Albania

Coufal has only started West Ham’s two opening fixtures of the Premier League campaign but was reduced to second-half entries across the following two matches and has now sat three successive games on the bench without one paltry minute of action.

He’s been instrumental throughout the past several years, and though 32 years old, showcased his ability with the Czech Republic after picking up an assist and keeping a clean sheet in his country’s Nations League victory over Albania.

Playing in the B-tier of the tournament – the same as England – Czech added to their turnaround win over Ukraine in September after being thrashed by Georgia in the opener as they look to climb into the upper echelon of the European international tournament.

Vladimir Coufal’s Performance vs Albania
Match Stats	#
Minutes played	90′
Goals	0
Assists	1
Touches	60
Shots (on target)	1 (0)
Accurate passes	31/37 (84%)
Key passes	3
Dribbles (completed)	1 (0)
Tackles	2
Interceptions	2
Total duels (won)	8 (6)
Stats via Sofascore

Coufal was excellent, putting in the kind of complete performance that Lopetegui will have taken note of, having notably won six duels and provided three key passes from his full-back berth. His assist for forward Tomáš Chorý’s second strike just after the hour mark sealed the win against a talented Albania side that also defeated Ukraine last month.

West Ham have a talented backline and purchased Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United in a deal worth £15m this summer, but Coufal will be convinced that he can still play a part and proved as much this week.

Why Lopetegui should unleash Coufal

Coufal, 32, might be an old dog but he’s still got some tricks. Across 161 appearances, he’s claimed 20 assists and offered a dynamic and balanced element to the right flank. Of course, he was also vital in winning silverware on the continental stage.

He ranked among the top 16% of full-backs in the Premier League last season for assists per 90 (0.20), as per FBref, so can even offer some playmaking support to the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Muuhammed Kudus and co.

Coufal was signed for just £5m back in 2020 and for that reason is one of the best pound-for-pound signings in West Ham’s modern history, and though he’s been placed on the sidelines so far this season, there’s every chance that he could be an experienced head to bring some security to the Hammers side over the coming weeks.

Having won 51% of his duels and averaged 4.3 ball recoveries per game in the Premier League last term, as per Sofascore, he’s still got what it takes and must be unleashed after proving himself yet again last time out for his nation.