Yesterday saw West Ham travel to Selhurst Park in a big London derby tie in the Premier League. The Hammers would have probably taken a point before the game, and it was a point they came away with after a battling display against the Eagles. However, after Ryan Fredericks has received a bit of stick, the Irons have been quick to defend their man.
I can’t believe people are saying Fredricks was bad yesterday? I thought he don’t quite well against Zaha. He was left 1v1 most of the time and didn’t have support. People are never pleased
— West Ham Transfers (@westhamtransfer) February 10, 2019
Whenever a full-back gets strung-up in a one vs one situation with Wilfried Zaha the odds on them coming away with the ball and shutting down the Palace man are slim. However, Fredericks managed to deal with the threat of Ivorian effectively throughout the game, and he could have done nothing about the goal that his scored to level things up in the last 15 minutes of the clash.
However, criticism is something unavoidable in football, and there will always be those on Twitter and in the pub who will come away slating any given player. The Hammers, though, have been quick to jump to the aid of Fredericks, and are keen to give him time to settle back into the side after his lengthy absence through injury. Either way, the fans are delighted to have someone ready to fight with Pablo Zabaleta for the right-back spot and will hope he can kick on from here.
You can read the Irons’ defence of Fredericks here:
Think he played alright. Positioning was off for a good few Palace attacks, might be down to not playing enough and lack of sharpness. No doubt it will improve with games under his belt.
— ⚒Mick Hammers⚒ (@mickamoowhufc) February 10, 2019
Stop getting on his back . Pace is outstanding , crossing is good and has a eye for goal . Pellegrini will work on his positioning , he is going to be very good for us , so support the kid.
— HammerTone⚒️ (@tone_hammer) February 10, 2019
Thought he was one of our best. Proper defender unlike masuaku, but good going forward unlike zabaleta who can’t cross for his life. Fredericks pace is unreal.
— Angelic Ogbonna (@whu_1985) February 10, 2019
I think he has problems adapting to holding the line and played them on a few times … but I guess that should get better the more he plays!
— costahammer (@costahammer) February 10, 2019
Given time, I think he’ll be decent for us
— Noble Art (@nobleart16) 10 February 2019
He needs games before making a decision. Needs to work with the back four.
— JB (@1MrLondon) February 10, 2019
https://twitter.com/NJThompson94/status/1094574938265210880
The Hammers will be pleased to see some competition developing at right back and will hope Fredericks can kick on from here.
