By CandH’s top blogger Allen Cummings
Last Thursday’s European Conference clash with Steaua Bucharest illustrated perfectly how football has become even more of a squad than a team game these days.
The move this season to allow the use of five substitutes during the game instead of just three in previous seasons has of course shown that more than ever.
The ability to change players and systems – rethink and readjust game plans – is now more than ever the key to turning things around and rescuing victory from the jaws of defeat.
David Moyes’ starting 11 against FCSB, which contained several of our new additions, didn’t perform badly during the first 45 minutes, but they conceded a sloppy goal and then proceed to pass up several excellent chances which could and should have put them comfortably in front by half time.
But it didn’t happen – consequently Moyes did what some critics regularly accuse him of not doing – ringing the changes in a bold and positive fashion. Gianluca Scamacca was returning from a virus, often more debilitating than an injury,
Said Benrahma was huffing and puffing but not having the effect he’d enjoyed in recent games and Manuel Lanzini was struggling to get on the ball and direct operations.
Moyes decided they would be the trio he swapped and turned to Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta – the changes worked a treat.
West Ham seized the initiative and went on to win comfortably. I have no idea if Mickey, Jarrod and Lucas were put out by not starting the game. I suspect not because they are professional enough to know and respect what Moyes’ original intentions were.
Does starting a game make you a better or more important player than someone who comes on and changes the game? We all have our favourites of course – but the result is the most important factor.
There were and still are jibes about the manager’s reluctance to use the new arrivals more readily – frustration at them being just ‘bench warmers’. That’s nonsense of course.
The squad is now stronger than it’s ever been – and everyone has a part to play in the bigger picture. The star of the game can be someone who comes off the bench to great effect.
Whether it’s one of our more established players – or one of the new arrivals the way Maxwel Cornet did against Chelsea before being wrongly denied his moment of glory – it doesn’t really matter!
It’s West Ham United the team that matters most.
Well said and a great article. The result is of course the most definitive of conclusions when we judge where the team sits either successfully or not.
I’d rather see a team all pulling in the same direction and have a flow about them etc. We just need a run of games for them to gel.