David Moyes has agreed with Glenn Hoddle over a major worry at West Ham that’s been a huge problem for too long.
If West Ham were unlucky to see their recent revival dented by Liverpool in midweek, they saw it come crashing to a halt at Crystal Palace.
The Hammers were second best all over the pitch in the 4-3 defeat to the Eagles, who passed David Moyes’ side off the park.
The reality is West Ham simply never looked like scoring from open play – relying on set pieces for all three of their goals.
Moyes’ side struggled to string more than three or four passes together in a return to the kind of performances that have been an all too common theme over the last 15 months.
Hammers played off the Selhurst Park
One statistic that says it all was the fact West Ham failed to register a single shot on target in the second half after bringing the score back to 3-2 before half-time.
Glenn Hoddle got it spot on in commentary when he said West Ham simply don’t have enough possession in games to be a consistent threat in open play.
It has become the norm under Moyes for West Ham to have significantly less possession than the opposition. And usually around half the passes too.
That was the case once again at Palace with the Hammers playing nearly 200 less passes.
Moyes agrees with Hoddle over a major worry at West Ham that’s been a huge problem for too long.
David Moyes agrees with Glenn Hoddle over major worry at West Ham that’s been a huge problem for too long
“We never made enough chances in open play at all and that’s the bit that bothers me,” Moyes told West Ham’s official site.
“(It’s bothering me) that I can’t get enough goals in open play from the players I’ve got in the team.
“We look a threat when we’ve got a corner kick or a free-kick, but open play is becoming a problem at the moment.”
A more aggressive and front-foot approach since going 2-0 down against Arsenal looked to have turned West Ham’s season around.
It certainly got fans off the manager’s back as it is more in line with what they want to see from the team.
But this was the bad old West Ham against Palace. And with work still to do to survive, it should be a major concern for everyone at the club.
The team’s struggles to gel and play a more progressive style could also be a huge factor in deciding the manager’s future come the summer regardless of what happens between now and then.
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