No room for Bowen as Moyes lives up to reputation

As expected David Moyes lived up to his defensive and cautious reputation by deciding that a £22 million signing aimed at helping save our season started his West Ham life on the bench tonight.

However, apparently Arthur Masuaku is good enough to start although Pablo Fornals will play no part having been left out of the squad.

So what we are left with is a team that’s failed time and again – with the exception of Tomas Soucek – one that is left looking either for a miracle or maybe four red cards or so for City.

An in explaining his team selection decision to Sky the Scot declared that in his experience players from the Championship take time to settle.

We don’t have the time for that sort of thinking – we need players who can make a difference now and Jarrod Bowen is the one most likely to do that.

Disappointing didn’t begin to cover it as he said: “From my experience of the boys I’ve bought from the Championship, it takes them a little time to settle.

Obviously there is a clamour from everybody to put your new players in, but I want to give them a chance to settle in.

“What I’ve seen of him, I’ve been really impressed. He’s look sharp, he’s looked quick, he’s obviously match-fit and ready to go and maybe if it was a different game I’d look at it differently, but I’ve given boys from the Championship a bit of time to settle into the speed and tempo of the Premier League, as I think that’s very important.”

Thus his team is: Fabianski, Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku, Rice, Noble (c), Soucek, Snodgrass, Antonio. Subs: Randolph (GK), Zabaleta, Balbuena, Lanzini, Felipe Anderson, Bowen, Haller