Another Premier League game in the bag, another loss for David Moyes and his squad, as West Ham’s twelve-month form, is relegation worthy.
Most West Ham squad received a month-long layoff during the Qatar World Cup, which should be no surprise considering the team’s recent form. However, in the club’s return to EPL domestic action on Boxing Day, another losing game at the hands of Arsenal shows some concerning statistics surrounding the Hammers and Moyes’ tenure over the past 12 months.
Following West Ham’s painstaking loss to Arsenal, it was no surprise when Moyes backed Manchester City to win the title, despite his teams London foe picking up 40 out of possible 45 points in the league so far this season.
“I think Mikel might go on to be one. Do I think they’re going to win it this year? I’m not sure,” Moyes said.
“I think you’d be remiss if you don’t think Man City. You’d be doing them down. They’ve got a fantastic team, and there’ll be other teams that are a bit more used to being around the top, maybe a [team like] Liverpool later on.
“Not to say that Mikel isn’t building a side capable, but I think he’ll know that Man City will be the ones. They’ll come here, and they’ll keep the ball off Arsenal.
“Arsenal kept the ball off us tonight. Man City will come here and keep the ball off Arsenal, and it’ll become a different type of game for them.”
Bitter words, perhaps? From a manager who Arteta and co wholly outclassed. Whether or not Arsenal can defeat Manchester City doesn’t necessarily dictate the title winner. But we can’t blame Moyes, he doesn’t know much about winning of late, and instead of making EPL winner predictions, he should focus on preventing West Ham from encountering a relegation battle.
The Arsenal game was West Ham’s fourth loss in a row as a team filled with multiple World Cup-fatigued players still managed to dominate a well-rested squad in the Hammers. It would have been another clean sheet for the Gunners if it weren’t for a lapse of judgment by the home side, who gifted Said Benrahma a penalty in the 27th minute.
Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Eddie Nketiah delivered three goals within a 20-minute space during the second half, gifting Arsenal another three points and a solid position at the summit of the EPL table.
Despite Moyes’ doubts, a betting man would wager on Arsenal to win this year’s title. The Gunners goal stopping ability is one of their most impressive feats, even without the heroics of New Jersey-born USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner between the sticks, who had an excellent World Cup.
Matt Turner chatting it up with Tim Howard is awesome. 🇺🇸
(via @NBCSportsSoccer) pic.twitter.com/I0O5Rq0gY1
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) December 27, 2022
There’s no denying that New Jersey sportsbooks were likely taking all the action on Arsenal’s behalf in this London derby with the Hammers, as this team has allowed just 12 goals this term, with only Newcastle United allowing fewer during the 2022/23 term thus far.
More to the point, West Ham has scored just one more goal than Arsenal has conceded this season. Moyes’ insisted that his team and the fans remain patient, but this excuse is running thin.
Denial or not, Moyes cannot remove himself from a statistic that proves West Ham is in deep trouble. They’ve lost the joint most games in the Premier League so far this season, making it 10 losses from their 15 EPL fixtures from the 2022/23 season, with only rock-bottom Southampton having lost the same amount.
If the players or club owners aren’t concerned by now, they never will be.
To understand the dangerous position West Ham is in, they lost just 11 games during the 2020/21 campaign in their journey to a sixth-place finish. And they lost a mere 14 games last season with a seventh-place finish.
The current trajectory of West Ham is on route to receiving 20 or more losses this term. The Hammers were relegated in 2010/11 after losing 19 games.
Many supporters believe Moyes should go, but his poor results stem back twelve months, with just 13 wins from his previous 43 EPL games as a West Ham manager.
Right now, West Ham is performing relegation worthy, and no matter how you dress it up, Moyes could’ve been released months back, and this team would be in a better position.
Image from: unsplash.com
