When speaking exclusively to the Evening Standard, West Ham captain Mark Noble hinted that David Moyes might have missed a trick by not deploying players on the posts when defending corner kicks.
The Hammers have experienced a torrid Premier League campaign thus far.
They are currently sitting in 18th spot in the table, one point adrift of safety. Moyes’s side have let in 45 goals in 26 league games – the fourth worst tally in the entire division.
And West Ham have looked vulnerable when defending set-pieces time and time again.
Fragile Hammers
In their last outing away at Manchester City, they were undone by a corner whipped into the near post, with Rodri proceeding to head home into the far corner.
And when speaking to the Evening Standard, Noble suggested that had someone been guarding the far post, his team would not have conceded in that instant:
“The most disappointing aspect of our 2-0 defeat (against City) was their first goal, a header from a corner. You set up all week to counteract the way they play — their overlaps, underlaps, their one-twos, and then they score from a set play! If there had been a defender on the far post, he would have cleared it, but goalkeepers these days don’t seem to want that. A few years ago, I was always detailed to be on a post at set plays and I must have cleared at least five balls a season off the goal-line.”
West Ham face Liverpool away tonight. And it will be interesting to see whether Moyes heeds his captain’s advice at Anfield.
The Hammers will undoubtedly be under the cosh for large parts of the game tonight. But hopefully Moyes sets his team up with some attacking intent so that they can cause the hosts some problems of their own.
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