Regular readers know I’m an eternal Hammers optimist but let’s be honest tonight looks a nightmare.
We have:
O the possibility of playing a right back in Ngakia who has demonstrated he doesn’t want to be here;
O our best midfielder Declan being perhaps forced to remain in the back four;
O a captain who will surely find it impossible to play two effective games in four games;
O a £35 million Brazilian who was bought to cause havoc but seems unable to go past a player
O two other midfielders in Yarmolenko and Wilshere who clearly aren’t fit with Snodgrass unfit
O and no out and out and out striker.
Then there’s Aaron Cresswell who was destroyed by Adama Traore on Saturday and could be again this evening.
There’s optimism and then there’s reality – tonight looks about as difficult as it gets and I can see only one of two answers and none of them carry more than the slightest hope of helping us towards a result.
At the back I think Moyes has to use Balbuena despite seemingly not fancying him allowing Declan to give us a little more mobility in midfield replacing Noble who could well be struggling to play this second 90 minutes.
The only alternative appears to be using Wilshere in a defensive midfield role and nobody can be ready to make such a gamble surely.
Yarmolenko is a no no for me – just don’t like him – and have never been sure what he’s supposed to offer and as for Anderson – he has to go.
Lanzini looks the only option and we can only pray that tonight he will explode into the sort of action we once saw from his relatively regularly. Unlikely but Anderson?No
Given that this is very much a bonus game which nobody is expecting to win let’s roll the dice up front with Haller missing and throw in the kid Xande Silva with Antonio moving right as cover for either Johnson or Fredericks.
I expect very little of that to happen as Moyes is not the most adventurous but given he has already been complaining about an overcrowded fixture list he would do well to start using the squad at his disposable rather than sticking to a preconceived best eleven plan.
We expect nothing tonight and as such here’s my revised team having given it some thought since Saturday:
Fabianski; Fredericks, Diop, Balbuena, Johnson; Rice, Soucek, Bowen, Lanzini, Antonio, Silva.
Scorecast: 3-1
Has the feel of a patched up championship team.
Could be similar next year without Rice ,Diop and Soucek who will escape the Moyes , G&S , Brady shambles.
Cant argue with that team selection,but I think your being over optimistic with 3-1.
One attempt on target is more likely.
To say that Silva should play up top on his own with Antonio on the right as cover for the full-back is surely madness, Hugh? Silva isn’t a one-up-top type of striker and playing against the experienced defence of the Spuds would be a nightmare for him. We HAVE to go two up top tonight to stand any chance of winning. I would put him up there with Antonio as Antonio’s strength and ability could be used to great effect with Silva’s nimbleness and pace.
Of course we know Moyes is going to play the same system as Saturday, keep it tight at the back until we concede and then leave it until 80-odd minutes to make a change that won’t harm the Spuds at all. He is too negative. To say Holland isn’t fit enough is crazy; no one is really fit enough right now but he has age on his side, enough for a 30 minute cameo, surely. I mean, look at all the 20-odd year old’s in the league playing well right now. why do we always have to wait until players are in their early 20’s before they get a look in?
I fear a 5-0 trouncing, with or without Silva up top on his own!
The team have very few optiond because my good friend Mr Pellegrini sold everyone in order to pay for his star players. Hence , We have no reliable back jup centre half, and unrelable full backs in Cresswel and Fredericks .. In middfield , if Snodgreass is unavailable, there is n’t a strong goalscoring option. The squad is threadbare as a result of failing to promote defenders from rhe reserve team and failing to invest a budget in promising centre halves. How David Moyes is accountable for that, is beyond my comprehension . Tonights gnme is ilkely to result in defeat because Pellegrini sold our goal provider , Arnautovic, from the last match, and Moyes will err on the side of Caution , mistakenly , by playing Rice at centre Half. Ogbonna isnt match fit and Wilshire cannot get up to speed in a single game. The outcome is ilkely to be a defeat , either 3-0 or 3-1. I concur with Claret and Hugh. The problems are everywhere and the team will be relegated because Pellegrini stripped the squad bare and bought has beens or never gonna be palyers. WE might as well Xande Silva or Ajreti so Antonio has support at least and Pray for a miracle. They sometimes happen
Remind me, who and how much did he get?
Why not stop trying to play Pretty Football, play five defenders and keep punting the ball up to three of the tallest and fastest up front, it cannot be worst than playing one Striker and this dire defence mess.Incidentally, why play Antonio on his own in the middle when he prefers the wing and is most likely to score from there. Bowen likes the centre and can score there? Der is that hard for Mr Muck Manager to work out. Pick the wrong team and we are dead.