One look at Manuel Pellegrini’s last starting XI and matchday squad and it is safe to say West Ham United have been transformed under David Moyes.
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It seems an eternity ago given the elongated campaign due to the global health crisis, but it was only midway through last season that Pellegrini departed West Ham.
The Hammers had made a flying start back in 2019 and were being tipped to challenge for a European spot.
West Ham went about proving those predictions right by going unbeaten in their first seven matches.
The rise and fall of Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham
But then Lukasz Fabianski got injured, the hapless Roberto came in to deputise and the rest – as they say – is history.
That was the beginning of the end for Pellegrini at West Ham. A freefall into the relegation zone saw the Chilean sacked on December 28th after a 2-1 home defeat to Leicester.
His starting XI that day seems almost unthinkable now. And his matchday squad even more so.
Fabianski was back in goal, there was a back four of Ryan Fredericks, Fabian Balbuena, Issa Diop and Arthur Masuaku.
Pellegrini’s last line-up and squad highlights the big transformation under Moyes
Declan Rice and Carlos Sanchez were in central midfield.
And they sat behind a rather ambitious three of Pablo Fornals on the right, Felipe Anderson on the left and Manuel Lanzini in the middle with Sebastien Haller up front.
So many questions…
Where was Michail Antonio I hear you ask. Well he was on the bench alongside Albian Ajeti – both coming on as second half subs.
Captain Mark Noble, Winston Reid, Pablo Zabaleta, Robert Snodgrass and the disastrous Roberto were also on the West Ham bench.
Six of that matchday 18 have now left the club as well as the manager.
The line-up just screams easy to beat. And it shows what a transformation West Ham have been through since Moyes replaced Pellegrini a few days after that defeat.
Moyes may only be getting started on the rebuild as he strives for a young, hungry West Ham team that is not considered a soft touch.
Hammers are younger, hungrier and no longer a soft touch
But the Hammers are certainly moving in the right direction.
They are more vibrant, quicker, look fitter, more committed, more organised and are just as enjoyable to watch.
The additions of Darren Randolph as back-up goalkeeper and the likes of Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen, Vladimir Coufal and Said Benrahma have helped improve West Ham.
But the biggest factor is surely Moyes doing another Marko Arnautovic with Antonio and turning the winger into one of the most feared strikers in the top flight.
The biggest challenge Moyes now faces is whether he can get the best out of Haller. Pellegrini didn’t manage to do it – and as his last line-up shows, he certainly set the team up to try and get the £45million Frenchman plenty of service.
Any West Ham fans who doubted or continues to doubt Moyes will surely see the club is in safe hands with the Scot?
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