Cautious Moyes v Cagy Hodgson
I must admit that I’m not overly looking forward to tomorrow’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace. It’s an encounter that will feature the league’s two most cautious managers, and I’m unsurprised that tickets to the game at the London Stadium remain available.
Both Roy Hodgson and David Moyes‘ teams have recently beaten Burnley, and each team did so by surrendering possession and attacking intent to Vincent Kompany’s team. It says a lot that two established Premier League teams would choose to sit back and park the bus against a newly promoted side that was bottom of the league.
Cautious Moyes and the pragmatic Roy Hodgson
However, it’s a tactic that proved effective, particularly given Burnley’s demolition of Sheffield United this weekend. Unfortunately, the pragmatic approach from both coaches may not make for a great spectacle.
As the boxing term goes, styles make fights, and neither team has a particularly attacking or swashbuckling style. Hopefully, I’m wrong. After all, the humdinger against Forest had a hugely entertaining ending despite a lacklustre first half.
West Ham haven’t looked great when the responsibility to attack is upon us. But I suspect we’ll have to be on the front foot if we’re to win this game, and that may play into Palace’s hands… we could be in for a long day.