A shocking revelation about West Ham star Alphonse Areola from football experts will give David Moyes critics plenty of ammunition.
West Ham boss David Moyes is in the running for the Premier League’s manager of the month award amid an unbeaten start to the new season.
But you wouldn’t know it if you listened to some pundits, journalists, football analysts and fans.
West Ham ended last season with the second lowest possession statistics in the Premier League.
And that has been used by Moyes’ detractors as proof that the Hammers needed a more progressive, modern manager if they were to get back to challenging for the European spots.
Substance over style or is possession nine tenths of the Premier League law?
Moyes admitted his experiment to try and change West Ham to a more possession-based team failed last term. And it could well have cost them their status as a Premier League club.
West Ham look comfortable in their own skin again this season, unashamedly surrendering possession to get back to being a counter attacking side.
But they have been causing a stir with their low possession stats in a league full of Pep Guardiola disciples.
Much has been made of West Ham’s contentment to sit off teams and try to hit them on the break.
But the Hammers made it 10 points from a possible 12 with victory at Luton last time out in which the team showed they can also win when the emphasis is on them to have the lion’s share of the ball.
Shocking revelation about West Ham star Alphonse Areola from football experts will give David Moyes critics plenty of ammunition
Moyes has admitted he does want his side to start keeping the ball better.
And the likes of Brighton and Spurs are examples of teams playing football that should be within West Ham’s reach with the players they have while still getting results.
Now a shocking revelation about West Ham star Alphonse Areola from football experts will give Moyes critics plenty of ammunition.
WhoScored is the world’s largest detailed football statistics website and is powered by Opta data.
And WhoScored analysts have revealed that West Ham’s Areola – who has been made number one this season – has the worst pass success rate of any goalkeeper in the Premier League this season.
Moyes ball vs De Zerbi ball as Areola has worst pass success rate of any goalkeeper in the Premier League and Brighton stopper the best
While Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen, playing in Roberto De Zerbi’s widely lauded system, has the best.
Areola has a pass success rate of 42.2% – which WhoScored states is the lowest of any goalkeeper in the top flight so far this season. For context, Verbruggen’s is the highest at 91.5%.
Many fans would bite back that the only stat they care about when it comes to their goalkeeper is keeping the ball out of the net.
And Areola has certainly been doing that – ironically helping West Ham beat Brighton with a series of fine saves, one of which has earned him a nomination for the Premier League’s save of the month.
Others will, though, inevitably use it as a stick with which to beat Moyes over his approach and style of play. The stat suggests the majority of Areola’s “passes” are in fact long hopeful balls forward which often give possession back to the opposition.
While the end result is all that matters, the player himself may not be too enamoured by the statistic given he is trying to fight for his place in the France team.
Edson Alvarez believes he has the answer to stop all the noise around Moyes and West Ham’s perceived problems with possession.
Hammers News recently called on lazy journalists and pundits to reassess how they “analyse” matches and ditch the obsession with possession.
Because ruthless, quick, counter-attacking play is arguably much more exciting than some of the sideways passing, tippy tappy football some managers and clubs are trying to play.
West Ham star Jarrod Bowen has also slammed Moyes’ detractors and defended his style of play recently.