David Moyes reckons there are now big signs the Hammers squad is a group “coming together” and declares that he feels a much greater team spirit.
Writing in his exclusive London Evening Standard column he declares: “That shows on the pitch as well, the way the players are working for each other, the way they celebrate together.”
He also has a special word for man of the moment Declan Rice saying: “I thought he specifically, has shown much more maturity in his last two performances.
“He has come back from winning his first senior international cap with the Republic of Ireland with a lot of confidence and self-belief.”
And he enters the Chicharito debate saying: “He came on against Chelsea and scored a fine goal. As a plan, it worked to perfection and there is no doubt that he and Marko Arnautovic can play in the same team.
They linked well together for the goal but I would point out they were both in the team when we lost to Swansea. I have to take that into consideration and my job is to choose the right players for the right games – on the right days.
Chicharito has played in other games and scored good goals but at the moment Marko would be hard to move aside if we are playing just one striker. We want competition, though, and Marko needs to know he has to keep his levels up and his standards high.”
All I will say is a top manager finds a way to play all his best players from the kick-off and Chicharito should be on the pitch alongside Arnautovic from the start.
disagree. playing all the best players is what england did for years without any success. it’s about the best team and if that means good players are on the bench, then so be it.
I’m with master on this one. Determine the system, then find the best players to fit that system.
Play Chico and Arnie up top and pick the team from there.
Surely it’s not that hard? Play them both up top not Chico wide like Moyes did at Swansea.
Rice should of been playing at the back all season, with Ogbonna our best 2 defenders, and keep Creswell at left back he is as much of a centre half as Ronnie Corbett was!
I would argue, that track records proves Chico is most effective as a super sub. clearly that’s not what he would like.
However its hard to argue against this when you look back though history, it proves him being effective from the bench.
I have faith in our manager on this one. Chica can’t play up top on his own – he needs a strike partner. I’d love to see Chica and Arnie up top, with Masuaku, Kouyate, Lanzini, Noble and Mario across the middle, with Cressie, Ogbonna and Rice as our back three.
But I don’t train with them every day. 🙂