Derisively called ‘the new Marouane Fellaini’ when signed by West Ham United, Tomas Soucek is far more than a ball-winner. The 26-year-old Czech international has been a key signing since he arrived in England, becoming one of the most important players in David Moyes’ new look West Ham side.
Without him and his surprisingly high supply of goals, assists, passes, and tackles, it is unlikely that West Ham would be enjoying the same quality of season as they are today. Soucek is, without doubt, an essential part of the West Ham revival.
What makes Tomas Soucek worth watching?
A ridiculous return of 13 goals across all competitions is something nobody could have expected from a holding midfielder. However, having scored around the same amount of goals from defensive midfield as he does from further forward, Soucek is a naturally aggressive midfielder who finds it easy to score.
Add in over 5 aerial duels won per game on average and a passing accuracy above 75%, and it is easy to see why Soucek is such a well-respected player. His height, physicality, technical class, and ability to play on both ends of the ball makes him a hugely intriguing talent.
Things to improve for Tomas Soucek
The main thing that Soucek could improve upon, though, is that passing accuracy. While a strong rating, he does tend to be a touch too ambitious at times, slack at others. This, though, could stem from West Ham trying to always move the ball forward as opposed to trying to maintain possession for long periods of time.
His long range passing is great, but it can lead to a lot of concessions of the ball. Also, he can commit one too many fouls – especially when attacking. If those fouls were reduced, Soucek would hold claim to being among the best midfielders in England.
If you were to have a must-win game on the final day of the season, you would want a Tottenham side that looks like they have been fed up since the turn of the year. Leeds know they need to win and get some favours at other grounds, so expect them to come out flying here. Spurs have endured a few tonkings on the last day of the season in recent years, too, so it is hard to say how motivated they will be.
With the relegation battle going down to the last weekend, Leicester City know they need to win at home to a West Ham United side that will have one eye on their upcoming European final. David Moyes is likely to rest and rotate to a fair level, while it is expected that City will look to go all-out in what is almost certain to be a final game for many of this playing squad whether they manage to stay up or not.
A big Midlands derby, and one that at the start of the season might have been pegged as a potential European decider. It technically still is, but only for one of the teams. Whilst Wolves have spent much of the year chopping and changing key club positions and fighting relegation, Villa have only went from strength to strength under Unai Emery. Can they continue that great form in the Black Country?
Given both sides have been relative powerhouses in the Midlands over the last few years, nobody expected either club to be battling relegation. The sacking of Brendan Rodgers and Bruno Lage, though, sees both teams come into this game under different managers than they started the season with. While Lage left before the 2022 World Cup, Rodgers only left recently. Can Leicester get some kind of new manager bounce under Dean Smith?