The major issues Hammers boss David Moyes simply must resolve in last free week to save West Ham’s season.
As the dust settles on a dismal weekend for West Ham in the race for the European places Moyes has said performances are a bigger concern for him.
And he makes a salient point. West Ham may have scraped a few results since the turn of the year. But when was the last time the Hammers actually played well and dominated a game?
You have to go back to before that momentum killing November international break.
Major issues David Moyes simply must resolve in last free week to save West Ham’s season
To have any chance of making the top four West Ham will realistically need to win at least seven of their remaining 12 games. Not impossible, but not likely on the evidence of the last few months.
This week is significant for West Ham. It is the last free week the Hammers will have for some time, potentially the rest of the season depending on progress in the Europa League and FA Cup.
So Moyes simply must use that time to resolve these big issues and save West Ham’s season.
Soucek role and form
The problem with Tomas Soucek is not quite as simple as a player out of form. Yes the big Czech has been well off his usual standards. But anyone who thinks Declan Rice’s new rampaging free role isn’t impacting Soucek needs only to re-watch the Watford away game. Rice was suspended and Soucek was able to revert to his more natural game and he was one of the best players on the pitch and scored a lovely goal from open play.
But it’s not Rice’s fault. It is down to Moyes to find a way and a system to ensure West Ham get the best of both players. There is no hiding the fact West Ham benefit more from Soucek getting forward over Rice. The numbers are there for all to see, Soucek is a bigger goal threat than his midfield partner. And those saying he offers nothing to the team need to watch the first 10 minutes against Newcastle. If it wasn’t for Soucek’s defending the Hammers could and probably would have found themselves 2-0 down with a mountain to climb.
This is THE single most important issue Moyes needs to resolve and this week will probably be the last chance to fix the problem on the training pitch with three-game weeks on the horizon thereafter.
Perhaps the key is a change of system to allow another body in central midfield. If Alex Kral had been able to make more of an impact it could have been him. Mark Noble doesn’t have the legs. So Manuel Lanzini may be the answer. If Moyes can solve this puzzle it could transform West Ham’s outlook for the run in.
Squashing the Benrahma beef
It’s never nice to see disharmony in the ranks. So watching the heated exchange between Moyes and Said Benrahma felt uncomfortable at the weekend. Benrahma has been poor, especially when he starts. But Moyes has – since the day the Algerian arrived at the club – taken a particularly harsh approach to managing the maverick playmaker.
Benrahma’s frustration is understandable. And you don’t want players to be happy when substituted. But West Ham’s meteoric rise under Moyes over the last two years has been built on that foundation of an excellent team spirit. So the issue between the manager and Benrahma cannot be allowed to fester. Hopefully Moyes will have a one-to-one with the player so they are both on the same page. The team selection against Wolves could say a lot about Benrahma’s future at the club because it takes a brave man to publicly confront the Scot the way he did. How Moyes deals with this will be key.
Right-back
It looks like Vladimir Coufal could be out for a spell after Moyes revealed he is struggling with a hernia. That would explain a lot in terms of the Czech’s below par performance levels this season, particularly of late. Ryan Fredericks was somehow preferred to Ben Johnson against Newcastle.
But he too could now be injured. That is no great loss and Johnson will surely now be back starting for West Ham.
Moyes must try and keep as settled a back four as possible for the run in as consistency and continuity are key. If Johnson can rediscover his form of earlier this season then the Hammers will be much improved as a result.
Michail Antonio
One of West Ham’s biggest problems – besides not signing a striker to provide Michail Antonio with some much-needed competition – is the form of the man himself. Or should we say lack of form.
It’s not just that Antonio is not getting anywhere close to a goalscoring position that’s a worry. It is his dreadful all round performances giving greater cause for concern. With Antonio it is a combination of factors. Fatigue, lack of confidence, lack of competition and – most crucially – a change in tactics from the opposition.
He has become too easy to defend against. West Ham are playing less balls over the top for him to chase and pin defences back. If there is one thing any defender hates it is getting in a foot race with a powerful striker and being turned towards their own goal. With teams sitting deep against West Ham that option to go longer is rarely there for Antonio anymore. And he is not a good enough player technically to operate in tight areas.
The answer may be to stick him out wide on the left or right with Jarrod Bowen up front instead or perhaps even Nikola Vlasic. One thing is for sure something needs to be done because if Moyes persists playing him as the lone forward nothing is going to change.
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