West Ham United face Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League quarter-final over two legs next month.
West Ham supporters were clearly apprehensive about the prospect of facing Bayer Leverkusen in yesterday’s Europa League quarter-final draw.
David Moyes, the Hammers’ manager, and Xabi Alonso both expressed a desire to avoid Leverkusen in discussions with the media.
Nevertheless, it’s important to note that Qarabag, from Azerbaijan, gave Leverkusen a tough challenge in the previous round, despite Leverkusen being the leaders in the German league.
Interestingly, our team seems to excel more in European competitions than in the Premier League under Moyes’ leadership over the past three years.
While Bayer Leverkusen deserves respect, there’s no reason for us to fear them, especially with the advantage of playing the second leg at home, which increases our chances of progressing to the semi-finals.
The atmosphere at the London Stadium will undoubtedly be electric when we host the Germans in East London. It’s crucial for us to stay competitive in the first leg.
However, there’s concerning news for West Ham ahead of this significant clash with the German side…
West Ham dealt blow ahead of Bayer Leverkusen quarter-final
When Edson Alvarez was cautioned with a yellow card for a needless late challenge during our 5-0 victory over Freiburg on Thursday night, Moyes’s response on the sideline encapsulated the situation perfectly for me.
The Hammers’ manager returned to the dugout with a visible expression of disappointment, evidently recognizing that Alvarez’s suspension would deprive him of the 26-year-old’s services for the first leg of the upcoming round in the competition.
Throughout this season, the former Ajax player has been exceptional for the Hammers. Not only has he impressed visually, but his outstanding statistics have also provided further evidence of his brilliance.
However, we’ll have to manage without him in Germany next month for our crucial match against Leverkusen.
The absence of the Mexican international in the first leg against Leverkusen due to suspension is a significant setback for us.
At the time, the score was 3-0 in favor of the Hammers, and 3-1 on aggregate, so we were comfortably ahead in the tie. What added to the frustration of the yellow card was that the Freiburg player wasn’t even in a threatening position to score or assist.
In his 24 Premier League appearances this season, Alvarez has maintained an average of 2.6 tackles, 1.3 interceptions, and 2.5 clearances per game. Additionally, he has made an average of 40.1 passes per game with an 86% completion rate (Who Scored).
Alvarez’s robust tackling and aggressive playing style are crucial to our team. While his physicality is well-known, his composure on the ball and ability to initiate attacks from the back are equally remarkable.
Let’s face it, we are a completely different side without Alvarez. His absence in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen is a major concern.
Despite players like Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, and Lucas Paqueta grabbing headlines, there’s a strong case to argue that Alvarez is the linchpin of our system.
He’s one of those players whose absence highlights his importance. Unfortunately, we’ll have to cope without him for our most crucial game of the season so far.
