The West Ham vs Southampton clash at the London Stadium was a hard watch this afternoon.
It was a huge game for both sides today, and luckily for us, West Ham emerged with all three points against Southampton.
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David Moyes still has so much work to do if he is to keep his West Ham United team in the Premier League this season.
It really was a tough watch today, in spite of the win. The London Stadium was like a morgue at times.
But what did we learn from the game?
Four things we learned from West Ham vs Southampton clash
There was plenty for the fans, David Moyes and the players to take from today’s clash with the Saints.
Here are four things I think everyone would have learned by watching the match…
Danny Ings cannot play up front on his own
The 30-year-old joined the Hammers for £15 million from Aston Villa in the January transfer window (The Mirror).
However, he has struggled to make much of an impact at the London Stadium, aside from his two goals against Nottingham Forest in February.
It’s definitely not all Ings’ fault though. In my opinion, it’s clear and obvious to see that the striker cannot play on his own through the middle up front. He has always succeeded throughout his career when deployed as part if a two-pronged centre-forward partnership.
If Moyes is to start Ings consistently, he needs to play him alongside either Gianluca Scamacca or Michail Antonio.
Lucas Paqueta needs more urgency
In fairness to the Brazilian, he did get stuck in this afternoon and relished the physical battle against Southampton.
However, Paqutea needs to be so much sharper and show more urgency when he receives the ball. I feel like he is desperate for everyone to think that he is cool and composed rather than actually react to the threat at hand.
Instead, he seems to lose the ball a lot after being closed down and that is something that the 25-year-old undoubtedly needs to work on.
Aaron Cresswell doesn’t have a future at West Ham
This is because of Emerson’s fine recent form. The Italy international is streets ahead of the 33-year-old in every single department bar his set-piece deliveries.
Emerson has been very good indeed for West Ham over the past couple of months. He has pace and energy in abundance. I think that the 28-year-old has cemented his place at left-back for quite some time to come now.
Moyes needs Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma to stay fit
The Hammers look like a completely different team with the Moroccan and the Frenchman at the heart of our defence.
Aguerd and Zouma have both been missing for prolonged periods of the season and without them, we have been a shambles defensively at times.
The 27-year-old and 28-year-old centre-backs seem to be developing a superb relationship, and keeping them fit will be crucial for us.
There is a long way still to go this season and many improvements that need to be made. Let’s hope that Moyes and his staff make the necessary adjustments.
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