There are reports that David Moyes is under pressure at West Ham.
The next five games are likely to be key in the Premier League, with the Hammers facing Wolves, Fulham, Southampton, Liverpool and Bournemouth.
Here are the changes Moyes NEEDS to make!
Get on the front foot
West Ham have too often ceded too much possession and allowed the opposition the chance to build the play. This is designed to allow the Hammers to break and exploit the space on the counter but, right now, the Hammers are too easy to play against.
Oppositions simply drop back into shape and squeeze the space in order to win the ball back.
It’s one of the key reasons the Hammers have been such low scorers.
What Moyes needs to do instead is trust his players to move the ball up the pitch, utilising the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Declan Rice to do so. They are both exceptional passers of the ball.
It is possible for the Hammers to build up without having to win a tackle first; Moyes needs to embrace it.
Trust the new boys
Tomas Soucek has been in wretched form and, at times, so has Mikey Antonio.
Yet Flynn Downes and Gianluca Scamacca are struggling for starts and are left watching on from the bench.
That has to change.
As it is right now, poor performances are being rewarded, as the Irons are continuing to stick with a busted flush of a starting XI.
Bring some new boys in, inject some creativity, and see what happens. It can’t get any worse.
Areola in
Alphonse Areola has looked impressive in Europe; now is the time to restore him to the starting XI in the Premier League.
He’s more vocal and authoritative than Lukasz Fabianski and he could genuinely help a back four that has looked stranded at times this season.
Shooting practice
The Hammers have missed some sitters this season.
Both Antonio and Scamacca have been guilty and we need to get them firing soon enough, or half the season will be gone and we’ll still be in the relegation zone.
Can a Leopard change his spots? 🤔
Moyes is defensive Manager and I can’t see him changing his ways, it’s true West Ham play to deep, it’s also true that he keeps on picking out of form players – I’d add Bowen to your selections of Soucek and Antonio, but I can’t see him dropping them! 🙄
I don’t see Moyes dropping Fabianski, he’s not done anything to deserve being dropped! 😳
All in all, Moyes’ back is up against the wall, doing anything radical is out of character – I can’t help but think he’ll go with a whimper! 🙄
Very good post Dave and I suspect you are saying what we have all been thinking. I would be even more radical, change keeper, both full backs – play Kehrer r/B, Daws c/b and Emerson l/B, drop Soucek for Downs and free Dec a bit, play Benrahma, Paqueta and Cornet with Scamacca. Thing is, will Moyes?