Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville says David Moyes must get with the times in his West Ham tactics and approach after the defeat to Man United.
West Ham once again wasted a host of chances and lost away from home against a so-called “top six” side when they were beaten 1-0 at Man United on Sunday.
The Hammers have been the most wasteful team in the Premier League this season in terms of big chances converted.
And many fans feel Moyes sets up the side too negatively at the start of matches, especially against the established elite clubs.
It was the same old story at Old Trafford as West Ham did not truly have a go until they were trailing. When they did they were either typically wasteful, lacking composure or found David De Gea in inspired form.
Fans were once again left feeling frustrated and asking the question why West Ham cannot play on the front foot – as they did when chasing the game in the second half – from the start of matches.
Moyes has also been criticised for his refusal to drop out of sorts Tomas Soucek.
He has called for Soucek to be dropped if West Ham are to become a more fluid and progressive outfit.
And pundit Gary Neville says David Moyes must get with the times over his West Ham tactics and approach.
In commentary during the game Neville remarked on several occasions that is is clear to see why West Ham do not score goals away from home with the way Moyes sets up his side.
The Sky Sports pundit said that any sides who do well against Man United have a go at them and create chances early on. But Neville stated that West Ham were sitting off with 10 men behind the ball for much of the first half and were ‘playing for set pieces’.
Neville also said while West Ham played well, Man United did not and were there for the taking.
Then after the game Neville said Moyes is using Soucek in the same way he used to utilise Marouane Fellaini at Everton and Man United.
And the pundit said the game has moved on dramatically since those days, highlighting that the best holding midfielders now have to be able to play on the ball.
“He had Fellaini doing that for a long time (what Soucek does for West Ham) at Everton and obviously at (Man) United as well,” Neville said on Sky Sports after the game.
“And it does block sometimes the sort of (flow) of the team.
“You can sometimes have two holding players (in the modern game), but the holding players we imagine (from previous eras) are the players that can’t play. The holding players that play the game now like Rodri at (Man) City or Fabinho at Liverpool, they can play, everything can go through them, Casemiro here today.
“So a holding player is not a negative thing anymore, it’s a actually someone who intercepts, it’s someone who starts attacks, it’s someone who is on the half turn, who can make sure they can play passes to the more creative players.
“Soucek obviously isn’t the best at that and Fellaini was similar.”
Louis Saha also highlighted that Moyes does not have enough players in the side capable of special moments who can “get away from the Scot’s system” to make things happen.
It is abundantly clear something needs to change about Moyes’s approach. The defeat to Man United means he has failed to win away in the Premier League at Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea in 70 attempts.
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