West Ham take on Liverpool at Anfield on Monday night.
Not many people are holding out any hope for the Hammers.
David Moyes proved on Wednesday night against Manchester City that he is more interested in avoiding a heavy defeat than he is in actually winning games.
And many West Ham fans are expecting much of the same against Liverpool.
If Moyes is so intent on setting up his team to nullify the Reds’ threats, however, he should seriously consider starting Pablo Fornals, having left him out of the squad entirely on Wednesday night.
Work-rate and defensive responsibility could be key
The Spaniard has really impressed for West Ham this season. The 24-year-old made a slow start to life in east London. But his form really picked up around October time.
And he was arguably the Hammers’ best player during the final two months of Manuel Pellegrini’s tenure.
Fornals has showcased his exceptional work-rate on a consistent basis. And with Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold to deal with down West Ham’s left hand side, the Spaniard will be able to help out Aaron Cresswell and or Arthur Masuaku by tracking back.
In 24 Premier League outings this season, the former Villarreal man has averaged 1.3 tackles and 3.38 ball recoveries per game (premierleague.com). Not bad for a so-called creative midfielder. And even more impressive when it is considered that he has only played 1244 minutes in those matches – an average of just 51.8 minutes per game.
Fornals is a very popular player amongst the Hammers fans. They really appreciate his hard work and constant graft.
And West Ham will need exactly that at Anfield on Monday night. If Moyes chooses not to play the Spaniard again it could very well be a huge mistake. And it will just serve as further evidence that the Scot is not the man to take the Hammers forward.
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