West Ham United will have Jean-Clair Todibo back for the visit of AFC Bournemouth on Saturday. The French defender has missed the last three games after he was sent off for his part in the loss of tempers at Chelsea. The Hammers went from 2-0 up to lose 3-2, and the defender’s red card compounded a difficult day for all involved.
The 25-year-old now comes back into contention, but will not have his place back without merit. Fellow countryman, Axel Disasi, joined on-loan from the Blues in January and has played every league game that Todibo has missed.
Todibo’s move to West Ham was made permanent in the summer, after spending last season on-loan with the club from Nice. The former Barcelona man has been an ever-present in the side under Nuno Espirito Santo, but will now have to get his place back and partner Konstantinos Mavropanos.
West Ham’s defensive showing
A big issue for West Ham this season, has been their defensive skillset. The Hammers have gone through several different central defensive partnerships, under two managers. From a back-three, to a back-four, things haven’t been good for the Irons in terms of keeping goals out.
Under Nuno, the tide has begun to shift slightly. The defensive formation seems more settled. West Ham have one clean sheet in their last five, but other than the defeat to Chelsea, have only conceded three goals.
Mavropanos has been the key man, partnering either Todibo or Disasi. These players, in a back four, look a lot more comfortable. The group as a whole, is looking better and better as things continue to settle within a defensive shape.
Further team news
Aside from the news that Todibo is now available for this weekend, there is very little news on the injury front for West Ham, with Nuno stating everyone is “okay” to go for the game against Bournemouth.
The only exception, is Brazilian forward, Pablo Filipe. The 22-year-old has been ruled out for at least four weeks but Nuno did have some good news regarding his recovery.
The Irons boss stated that they would take it day-by-day and ease the player back to fitness. Nuno did state that Pablo’s condition was getting better day by day, with the team expecting him back sooner rather than later.
