David Moyes was in bullish mood after West Ham’s 2-1 comeback win at Wolves and he has let certain stars know the score.
Games of two halves, Jekyll and Hyde, topsy turvy – call it what you want West Ham’s win at Wolves was all that and then some.
The Hammers were facing one of the weakest sides Wolves have put out in years.
But team selection, tactics and tiredness were exposed in a lacklustre first half which saw West Ham trail 1-0 at the break.
It was all change in the second half for West Ham, though, quite literally.
West Ham come from behind to win at Wolves
David Moyes did not make a single substitution in the 1-1 draw with Spurs in midweek.
But had the manager made all five at half-time against Wolves, nobody could have complained.
Moyes made two changes for the second half and a third when Jarrod Bowen went off injured.
The substitutions and change of shape helped the Hammers assert control and go on to win the match – albeit with some rare fortune.
Now Moyes has picked 3 West Ham players out for praise and fired a warning to certain stars.
Moyes picks out 3 players for praise
The Scot raved about the impact made by striker Michail Antonio, right-back Ben Johnson and left-back Aaron Cresswell.
And he says the performances of the trio mean his regular starters should stop taking their places for granted.
“I’ve got to praise the players but more importantly I’ve praised the three boys who’ve come on as sub today,” Moyes has told the club’s official site.
“Ben, Micky, Cressy I thought were all fantastic today and they had a big improvement on the team from how we started.
“And if the players in the team think they’re there and that’s them then well – they’re not. If they don’t play well then they’ll not be playing.
Boss warns starting stars not to take places for granted
“They need to play well and they need to have their standards high and certainly in the second half things got a bit better.”
Moyes is right to pick Antonio, Johnson and Cresswell out for praise.
They all looked sharp and hungry when they came on.
To a man they were excellent and were instrumental in turning the game around in West Ham’s favour.
But it does beg the question why Moyes has not used his squad more over the course of the season.
He even admitted before the game he had not considered rotating his squad.
Perhaps today will change his mind and give him more trust in those back-up players.
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