Vladimir Coufal compares West Ham’s James Ward-Prowse to famous Italian star Andrea Pirlo and Lyon classic Juninho.
West Ham new boy James Ward-Prowse, according to Vladimir Coufal, reminds him of famous midfielders Juninho and Andre Pirlo.
Ward-Prowse has made a spectacular start to life at West Ham, scoring once and assisting three times in his first three outings after joining from Southampton for £30 million.
With a customary perfect corner that found the head of Kurt Zouma, the 28-year-old set up his side’s second goal in their win at Luton on Friday night.
Vladimir Coufal compares West Ham new boy James Ward-Prowse to legendary midfielders Juninho and Andre Pirlo.
Ward-Prowse has had a fantastic start to his West Ham career, scoring once and assisting three times in his first three games after coming from Southampton for £30 million.
Kurt Zouma, 28, set up his side’s second goal in their triumph against Luton on Friday night with a typical precise corner that found his head.
Pirlo, a classy playmaker, won six Serie A titles and two Champions Leagues with AC Milan and Juventus, as well as the World Cup with Italy in 2006, while Juninho, a Brazilian midfielder, was widely regarded as the greatest free-kick taker of all time.
Coufal feels West Ham’s victory in last season’s Europa Conference League provided the team the confidence to move on from what had been a disastrous league season, with the club fighting for relegation and many demanding for Moyes to be fired.
But, to be honest, Coufal did not anticipate West Ham to start the season so strongly.
‘We acquired a lot of confidence after winning the conference league,’ Coufal added. ‘Now we’re playing like we’re larger, more confident, and we trust each other, our method, and our football. We’re sticking together. It brings both the fruits and the points. We don’t want to make any changes. To be honest, I didn’t expect ten points from these four games.’
Moyes, on the other hand, had a different perspective.
‘To be honest, he mentioned before the game that he wants to be top of the league by the international break,’ Coufal added. ‘It’s a great start for us. I’m saying let’s earn another 30 points and then we can talk.’
Following the departure of Declan Rice, Coufal has also backed match-winner Zouma to be the club’s permanent captain. Zouma has donned the armband for the first five games of the season, with Moyes yet to decide who will captain West Ham for the remainder of the season.
Moyes values Zouma’s leadership and appears to be the frontrunner, but the West Ham manager is said to have polled opinion on how the centre-back being chosen captain would be taken following the outpouring of anger that followed the video of Zouma kicking his cat.
‘Kurt is captain for me,’ Coufal added. ‘Why not [through the remainder of the season]? He’s got the armband on. He is captain because the boss said so. It is in no way a problem. He has a high regard for his career and what he has accomplished. He has a strong personality.’
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