West Ham United boss David Moyes needs to mix things up for Saturday’s Premier League visit from Newcastle United.
The Hammers are currently sitting in fifth spot in the Premier League table whilst Newcastle are languishing down near the relegation zone.
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So Saturday’s game is a huge one for both sides…but for very different reasons.
West Ham need to win to keep pace in the race for the Champions League places whilst the Toon are looking for their fourth consecutive Premier League win in order to create some daylight between them and the bottom three.
David Moyes’s men have been in the midst of a poor run of form over the past couple of months. We have managed to grind out results, however, and that’s always the sign of a good team.
The Scot clearly needs to freshen things up if his team are to get back to their best though. And we think the solution to Moyes’s problems could be very simple…
West Ham can blow Newcastle away in huge Premier League clash with simple change
Michail Antonio has been in horrendous form for the Hammers since the end of last year. He has only scored two goals for the East London outfit since October (Soccerbase).
It’s hard to criticise the 31-year-old because he has been such an important figure for West Ham since football resumed after the first nation-wide lockdown in June 2020.
There is no room for sentiment in the Premier League, however, and the Hammers cannot afford to keep carrying Micky.
Now, Moyes doesn’t have any other options as far as recognised centre-forwards are concerned.
The West Ham manager does have somewhat of a wildcard up his sleeve though.
Jarrod Bowen could operate through the middle flanked by Nikola Vlasic on the right and Pablo Fornals on the left. Said Benrahma could then play just off of Bowen in the number 10 role.
That front-line has so much movement, pace, skill, creativity and guile and it should cause the Magpies all sorts of problems at the London Stadium.
At the very least, the new look front four will give Newcastle something else to think about. Eddie Howe will undoubtedly be preparing his team to face a West Ham side with Michail Antonio through the middle.
So why not throw the Toon a curveball? We desperately have to win this game. And if it doesn’t work out, Moyes can bring Micky on from the bench. There really is anything to lose.
Benrahma, Fornals and Vlasic all need to start producing the goods on a more consistent basis. Saturday could be a huge opportunity for all of them to shine.
Whether Moyes has it in him to make such a drastic change to his normal setup, however, remains to be seen.
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