West Ham defender Artur Masuaku could be set to return against Southampton this week after having a spell on the sidelines with an illness, but Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side should not be concerned.
According to Football London, Masuaku missed West Ham’s defeat to Liverpool through illness, having started five of the club’s previous eight games under David Moyes.
The report claims that he was well enough to travel to Liverpool and hints at him possibly being available to face Southampton at the London Stadium this weekend.
Should Southampton be worried? No.
Adam Cresswell has started in his place and has boasted similar performances at left-back. Masuaku has recorded a WhoScored rating of 6.63, whilst Cresswell is only marginally behind on 6.61. This suggests that there is little to separate the two players in terms of ability and Masuaku’s return could be neither a boost nor a blow for West Ham in terms of their starting line-up.
Whoever starts at left-back for West Ham, they both seem to be capable of doing a solid job. Both average over 1.5 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per game in the Premier League, whilst both have contributed to goals going forward. Cresswell has scored three, whilst Masuaku has managed one assist. This means that West Ham could offer an attacking threat down the left, although more so if Cresswell starts – given his superior contribution.
All things considered, Masuaku’s return appears to represent little in the way of a problem for Southampton to worry about.
Him and Cresswell, as shown with the stats above, are similar in how they play and that means that Hasenhuttl should prepare his team to come up against both with the same game plan.
