I have to calm down when attacking, I can afford to take risks defensively, says Coufal

West Ham, along with Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, face two crucial months in which they can move from the fight for salvation to a quiet mid-table position. The latter is no longer a stable member of the squad, as he spoke to Sky Sports about.

Vladimir Coufal’s performances have unfortunately gone downhill season after season since his transfer to West Ham. In the first one, he was one of the main stars of the team on their way to sixth place in the league. In the second, he was still a member of the starting eleven, but his performances were not as dazzling. And this year, he’s teetering between the bench and the starting lineup.

Coufal’s position in the Hammers squad this year is linked to the loss of his speed and dynamism. Gone too is his productivity, he hasn’t notched a single assist so far, he hasn’t scored a goal for West Ham as he has in the past two seasons either.

“I think I need to work on my composure in the final third of the pitch. When I attack, I’m not as calm as I want to be,” Coufal said in an interview with Sky Sports.

And the restlessness is really noticeable. While in his first season after the transfer he was considered one of the best full-backs with seven assists, last year he assisted five goals, this year his assist column is lit up with zero.

The defensive side of Coufal’s performance is not good either. As mentioned, in previous years his defensive deficit was compensated by his offensive superstructure, but this year the national defender has nothing to fall back on.

“Some of my interventions defensively are very risky. But I can afford it, because it is my home half of the field,” continued the former Slovan Liberec and Slavia player.

The hard-working midfielder was slowed down by a groin operation last year. Because of it, he missed five league rounds and especially the World Cup barrage in Qatar. Since his final recovery, he has not been able to return to his wellbeing, which stood out among the others before the surgery.

Still, he never missed a beat and made it all the way to the Europa League semi-finals with West Ham. In the league, the Hammers defended seventh place, guaranteeing the European Conference League. He was already a fighter in the Czech league.

“A year ago I struggled a lot, I was moving badly, I could hardly run. I took pills every morning to get out of bed,” Coufal said.

Sky Sports, Premier League