“Disgrace” – West Ham fan page slams player for Burnley performance
He had trouble facing the teams that could be relegated.
West Ham United welcomed a Burnley team that was headed for Premier League relegation at the first time of asking following a terrible season back in the top division. The team was coming off a painful midweek loss to SC Freiburg in the Europa League last 16 first leg.
Though Vincent Kompany’s team came dangerously close to shocking the London Stadium with a 2-2 draw, the Hammers were far from having an easy assignment ahead of them. Following a goal by Lucas Paqueta and a late equaliser by Danny Ings, the Clarets took the lead thanks to a spectacular strike from David Fofana and an own goal from Konstantinos Mavropanos. Now, David Moyes’ team is in eighth place, and Burnley is 11 points outside of safety.
James Ward-Prowse slammed for Burnley display
A player that did not perform well against Burnley was James Ward-Prowse, a summer acquisition.
After moving from Southampton to play for West Ham, the midfielder had a strong start, but against the Clarets, he began to display the wear and tear of a lengthy season. Popular news website West Ham News expressed their displeasure with the performance on X:
The former Southampton captain had a forgettable performance at the London Stadium and was substituted off at halftime. But even without the midfielder, Paqueta and Ings goals prevented the Hammers from winning all three points.
Ward-Prowse failed to win a single ground duel
Given his numbers against Burnley, it’s not surprising that Ward-Prowse drew such harsh criticism following such an unimpressive performance. Against Burnley, West Ham needed to prevail in the midfield battle, but the Englishman who was substituted in the first half just wasn’t able to accomplish it.
| James Ward-Prowse vs Burnley | Stats (via Sofascore) |
|---|---|
| Ground Duels Won | 0/1 |
| Aerial Duels Won | 2/2 |
| Touches | 24 |
| Tackles | 0 |
Perhaps Ward-Prowse was unfairly criticised on a bad day, but he shouldn’t let it become a routine at the London Stadium. Next up, he’ll have the ideal opportunity to make apologies with Freiburg and the possibility to change the course of events in the Europa League, which is available in the middle of the week.
Of course, it remains to be seen if he gets that opportunity, but following his substitution at halftime, he will be the one with the fresh legs for the Hammers in the middle of the park.
