Rotation almost cost Hammers

The West Ham team which faced FK TSC Bačka Topola, was heavily changed. David Moyes usually leaves rotation until knockout football is secured, however on this occasion much of the team was altered, and it almost cost The Hammers.

In the end it was left to James Ward Prowse, Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek to give the score-line a look of respectability.

Too many of the starting line-up looked rusty. Aaron Cresswell, Pablo Fornals and Angelo Ogbonna didn’t look up to match sharpness. Others like Thilo Kehrer and Danny Ings looked fit enough, but understandably lacked lacked understanding with their teammates.

That being said, any win in Europe is a good one, and Moyes continued his remarkable record in European group stages. Last night Brighton Hove Albion lost to AEK Athens in the Europa League and Aston Villa suffered a 3-2 defeat to Legia Warsaw.

This European malarkey is not as easy as it seems. Maybe some who have belittled West Ham’s Euro achievements in recent seasons will think again.

So, despite the tepid performance, West Ham’s win was a good one. It yielded three points and rested players ahead of the Premier League game against Liverpool.

Moyes will remain cautious though. Whilst the Hammers had a string of corners, it took Michail Antionio’s introduction to unsettle the opposition keeper from set-pieces.

Kudus and Mavropanos enjoyed excellent debuts and will give the manager food for thought. However, the Irons gaffer will be a little concerned with Cresswell’s fitness and Fornals ineffectiveness.

But overall it was a job well done. When issues became evident, Moyes made changes and ultimately it worked. So it’s on to Liverpool on Sunday with a mostly refreshed team.