David Moyes absolutely cannot start Michail Antonio for West Ham United against Wolves at the London Stadium next weekend.
The 31-year-old is currently in the midst of an absolutely woeful run of form and in fairness, he has been for quite some time now.
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Antonio is the only recognised striker at West Ham. He isn’t even a striker for Christ sake! He’s a converted winger.
David Moyes chose not to sign a striker in January and that decision now looks like an absolute shocker.
Whether the Scot was backed to get his primary targets or not is debatable. Even if he wasn’t, that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have signed someone to provide adequate competition and cover for Antonio.
And as Micky’s form has continued to deteriorate, so has the Hammers’ all around play in general.
It will now take some kind of miracle if we are to finish inside the top four this season. Even the top six will take a super human effort considering Moyes’s lack of options.
Next weekend’s clash with Wolves will be a hugely important one. And Moyes absolutely has to mix things up, beginning with who starts up front…
David Moyes cannot afford to start Michail Antonio vs Wolves
The 31-year-old recently signed a new £100k-a-week deal that runs until the summer of 2025 (Daily Mail).
The decision to offer him such a big money deal for 3.5 years really was a crazy one. Antonio is clearly on the downward curve of his career.
He has bulked up far too much and has lost the pace and hunger that made him such a menace for opposing defenders in the first place.
Antonio has scored just two Premier League goals since the end of October. His all around game has been appalling as well.
Moyes might think, ‘who else do I play up front?’.
This is just pure laziness though. Despite the lack of personal, there are plenty of ways for Moyes to mix things up.
The Scot could use Jarrod Bowen as a striker supported by Said Benrahma, Nikola Vlasic, Pablo Fornals or Manuel Lanzini.
He could also set his West Ham team up in a 4-3-3 system using Vlasic as a false 9.
How about using Sonny Perkins as an orthodox number 9? Basically, any of those options would be better than playing Antonio at the moment. How much longer can Moyes flog a dead horse for?
Not only is Antonio desperately out of form but he is dead on his feet as well. The 31-year-old needs a rest and should be taken out of the firing line for at least a couple of games.
And aside from that, he needs to go back to doing the things that made him so good in first place.
Next weekend’s clash with Wolves is an absolute must win for West Ham. And if Moyes starts Antonio yet again, it will be a complete travesty.
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