A point on the road was no mean feat for West Ham in their opening match of the new season, but one man’s absence was particularly obvious.
Only nine weeks ago, the West Ham players were dancing in sheer ecstasy with European medals round their necks after their Europa Conference League triumph in Prague.
So much was possible with one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world within their ranks. But Arsenal paid £105million to prise Declan Rice away from the club he loved dearly, and the Rice-shaped hole in West Ham’s midfield was evident in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.
If it was Rice’s tackling and intercepting that made him a star, his ability to keep the ball and drive West Ham (or England) forward developed later.
West Ham saw just 37 per cent of the ball at the Vitality Stadium, as Bournemouth sprayed it around nicely, with man of the match No8 Joe Rothwell metronomic in midfield.
This was by no means a West Ham performance that lacked quality. Lucas Paqueta showed glimpses of why Manchester City are willing to spend so much on him, while Jarrod Bowen’s second-half strike was a scorcher.
Yet a midfield of Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals and Paqueta was unable to keep possession, leaving Michail Antonio and Bowen to track back and progress the ball up the pitch themselves.
“Declan was a huge player,” said Soucek. “I played with him for three and a half years. It was a good relationship, but he moved to Arsenal and now all of the team have to adapt.
“It worried me a lot that Bournemouth had a lot more possession than we had. They crossed into our box every two minutes, so that was bad. It was our mistake, and we have to learn: even if we’ve scored, we need to play forward, play high, and keep the ball.”
David Moyes said his side were “hanging on” at the end, and it didn’t work. Dominic Solanke — a player West Ham enquired about this summer — scored a late equaliser to ensure the points were shared.
West Ham have spent £35million to sign Edson Alvarez from Ajax in a bid to replace the industry of Rice, with James Ward-Prowse also sealed for £30m and Harry Maguire mulling over joining them.
Soucek said: “I have played against [Alvarez] and he’s an experienced international player. I look forward to him joining us. I hope we can train together in the week.
Our first goal of the 2023/24 season 😍@HendyGroup // #afcb pic.twitter.com/TDVk33QDer
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) August 12, 2023
“We will have a few more signings because our squad wasn’t that big. We’ve signed Ward-Prowse — and there may be a few more.”
West Ham rejected an £87m bid for Paqueta from City, but their interest in the player remains strong.
“I wish him all the best wherever he goes”, said Soucek. “I like to play next to him, he does incredible things and I would like him to stay. He can do passes nobody else can see — a proper Brazilian footballer.”
But no departure could be as impactful as Rice’s exit may prove to be at times this season. And as his former midfield partner, Soucek is well aware.
“Next we play Chelsea,” he continued. “And I hope we adapt without him very quickly.”
