Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United FC via Getty Images
Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United FC via Getty Images

Tactics

West Ham boss David Moyes must drop Mark Noble and start with trio says Martin Keown

Damien Charles Lucas
Damien Charles Lucas
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Sebastien Haller and Michail Antonio must start up front for West Ham United and Mark Noble needs to be dropped for Southampton today.

That’s according to pundit Martin Keown who told The Daily Mail that David Moyes must switch back to the front pairing which helped secure a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture.
Moyes will be without impressive midfielder Tomas Soucek for up to a month.
Photo by Daniel Chesterton Offside via Getty Images

Moyes faces reshuffle without influential Soucek

And Keown says fan favourite Pablo Fornals must start in place of skipper Mark Noble if West Ham are to emerge victorious from the must-win game.

“Reinstating that partnership between Haller and Antonio might help West Ham on Saturday take the game to the visitors and don’t be afraid to go direct either,” Keown said in The Daily Mail.

“Ralph Hasenhuttl’s style is to press high and win the ball back — only Liverpool and Manchester City have won possession in the final third more than Southampton this season.

“West Ham need to bypass that and avoid allowing the deadly Danny Ings, who boasts one of the best shot-conversion rates in the Premier League, too many chances in front of goal.

Photo by Arfa Griffiths West Ham United FC via Getty Images

‘Start duo up front and drop Noble for Fornals’ Keown tells Moyes

“One problem for Moyes is that Soucek is sidelined for three weeks. If he opts for a system with a front two, I wonder if Fornals might be a better option than Noble alongside Rice in their midfield.”

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That would mean no full debut for £20million new boy Jarrod Bowen.
Moyes has frustrated fans with his reluctance to throw Bowen into their desperate bid for survival.
And speaking in his pre-match press conference, Moyes’s comments suggested Bowen could once again be consigned to a role on the bench.
Photo by Daniel Chesterton Offside via Getty Images

Bowen wait goes on?

“I’ve got to use my experience,” Moyes said when asked if Bowen could start (whufc.com).

“Players like Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka took six months to settle into the Premier League, but others like Tim Cahill made an impact straight away. I’ll assess Jarrod and see where he is at.

“I want him to be for the long term. If we are signing a player from Hull and hoping him to be a saviour, I think that’s unfair, but he’s looking very good and very sharp.”

A draw for West Ham against the Saints would lift them out of the relegation zone above Aston Villa and potentially up to 16th should Chelsea beat Bournemouth.

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