1) The top youngsters are being rushed into the first team
Following the opening Premier League game of the season, there was immense hype surrounding 16-year-old Reece Oxford as he was calm and cool in the defensive midfield against Arsenal’s first team. On that day, the Gunners failed to find the back of the net. However, in the U21 encounter, it was quite the opposite story. The Hammers struggled and suffered a 5-0 defeat; an almost embarrassing display on the night, and after the first goal was conceded the Irons never really looked like getting back into the game.
The key performer for the home side was midfielder Glen Kamara, a player who plays in essentially the exact same position as Oxford. However, the North London club have opted not to rush him straight into the senior side setup. At 19 years of age, Kamara has already received an international call-up to the Finland national side, but has not played a single minute under Arsene Wenger. He ran the show, turning defence into attack within the blink of an eye. In the second half, he was rewarded for his efforts after playing a quick one-two in the penalty area, and finishing off with composure past Sam Howes. Perhaps the Academy need to look into this scenario, and rather than rush decent prospects into the first team, they should let the young lads develop in the Development Squad.
2) Djair Parfitt-Williams is not as effective up front
We saw the American line-up alongside fellow forward Jordan Brown, in a more classic 4-4-2 formation. However, it did not work a treat, with Brown often being forced wide as there was no real source of creativity. Last season, we saw what Parfitt-Williams was capable of, including an absolutely stunning curler from the edge of the box. However, his main threat was via running at the opposition and we just did not see that today. He isn’t blessed with the tallest of heights, and as long balls were knocked up top, he struggled to be as effective on the playing field. Hopefully, we will see him return to the central attacking midfield role as part of a three-man setup, in which the absent Martin Samuelsen could also feature in one of the wider roles.
3) Jordan Brown possesses the potential to be a world class centre forward
Although the score-line did not necessarily demonstrate this point, Brown made the most of the opportunities that he was presented with. Until the 14th minute, which was when the game was still goalless, the Englishman had already twice tested the Arsenal U21 goalkeeper Matt Macey and showed great shooting accuracy. Some fine stops prevented Brown from getting on the scoresheet, but his aerial prowess was something that was not capitalised on at all throughout the ninety minutes. Barely any crosses were pumped towards him, and he ended up having to chase the ball for most of the game. The one time when he was played through, thanks to a neat curling pass from Kyle Knoyle, the striker hit the post. He is most certainly one to watch, but needs the service around him in order to do so.
