West Ham United’s star midfielder Declan Rice was absent for their 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on Saturday evening through illness, with manager David Moyes opting to set up with a 4-4-2 as a result, with attacking midfielder Manuel Lanzini playing deeper than usual alongside Tomas Soucek.
Although the Hammers made a decent account of themselves in Merseyside, it did beg the question as to how Moyes should resolve the issue if Rice is to be absent again, either with the same illness or at another point this season.
With the Englishman and Soucek enjoying a solid defensive midfield partnership over the past almost two seasons, it would seem resorting to another defensive midfielder would be the sensible decision if either of the pair are to miss a game during the remainder of the campaign.
Therefore, it only seems right that Alex Kral is given the nod next time.
The 23-year-old Czech Republic international is currently on loan at The London Stadium from Russian outfit Spartak Moscow for the season but hasn’t seen much game time in England.
Kral has made just six appearances for the Hammers, with one game in the Premier League – a one-minute long cameo against Watford, making his loan spell currently an unsuccessful move.
The deal does include an option to buy, however, Kral’s fortunes will have to improve if he is to remain in east London beyond this season.
However, it’s fair to say the Czech defensive midfielder hasn’t been handed enough opportunities to make an impression on Moyes.
Soon after Kral’s loan move, Spartak wing-back Victor Moses, who was a Premier League winner with Chelsea, showered the 23-year-old with praise, saying: “I wasn’t surprised, Alex is a great player and he went to prove himself at the highest level. This was his dream, I wish that he settles well in London and enjoys playing for West Ham.
“Getting there is a normal desire for any ambitious player, and Alex has all the necessary qualities. He’s youthful, has high endurance, and the ability to play at a high level for 90 minutes.”
There is certainly potential within the £7.2m-rated deep-lying midfielder, having made just under 150 senior appearances at the age of 23 whilst also being capped 29 times by his native Czech Republic.The Hammers have certainly had success with recruiting Czech players over recent seasons with both Soucek and Vladimir Coufal arriving in 2020 and being major contributors to West Ham’s sixth-place finish last season.It would certainly be a valid argument to suggest that the Czech duo’s success was a contributing factor to West Ham’s decision to land Kral.However, unlike Soucek and Coufal, the 23-year-old hasn’t been handed the necessary opportunities to develop into a regular for the east London outfit. Granted, with both Soucek and Rice fit it’s near impossible for any player to shift either of the duo out of the starting lineup. But, with either absent, Kral should get the nod.In Lanzini, the Irons having an attacking midfielder perfectly suited to sit in the hole in a 4-2-3-1 setup but by playing the Argentian deeper and therefore shifting his preferred system, Moyes will see his side struggle.Next up for the Hammers is the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie with La Liga outfit Sevilla on Thursday. It appears as though Rice should be available, however, if he fails to recover in time it could be a big opportunity for Kral to be given the nod.Although, it would be a major call from David Moyes in arguably his side’s biggest game of the season so far.In other news: West Ham handed huge injury boost as exciting Rush Green image emerges
