West Ham United star Michail Antonio claims David Moyes is stopping him doing something he loves during matches.
So much so the West Ham striker claims he enjoyed his football more during his time with former club Nottingham Forest.
Michail Antonio has never been shy when voicing his opinion, including on the tactics of Hammers boss David Moyes.
That may not always be particularly helpful – for Moyes at least – given the debate which continues to rage between fans over the manager’s style of play and approach at West Ham.
Speaking on his podcast last season, Antonio opened a can of worms by admitting Moyes effectively sets up to defend, stay in the game and go for it during a small window at the end of the second half.
Antonio claims Moyes is stopping him doing something he loves
Antonio did not necessarily mean it as a criticism, but it caused a stir nonetheless.
Moyes then offered a frosty response to Antonio voicing his opinion on why the signing of Gianluca Scamacca had not worked at West Ham. Antonio had said strikers must be able to feed off scraps in a Moyes team.
Now West Ham star Antonio claims Moyes is stopping him doing something he loves.
Speaking as the guest pundit on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Antonio says Moyes has banned him from shooting outside the box.
And the Jamaican says he enjoyed his time at Forest more than any other in his career because he had the freedom to do just that.
“My best I would say would probably have been at Forest, (20)14/15 season” Antonio said, sparking a reaction of shock from presenter Dave Jones.
‘Moyes has banned me from shooting outside the box’
“Because what I did at Forest, the confidence I had, 15 goals, 15 assists – what I was doing that year was unbelievable. I shocked myself, that’s why I’m saying it’s unbelievable.
“I was playing left-wing at the time, I was beating four, five man at a time and putting it in the top corner, week in, week out.
“Right now at West Ham I’m told I’m not allowed to shoot from outside the box. But at Nottingham Forest all I was doing was scoring from outside the box.”
Many would argue Moyes’ tactics have served West Ham well. Others want more entertainment and to play on the front foot.
What Antonio must remember is it was also Moyes who showed the faith to turn an inconsistent winger into a Premier League striker.
Moyes is not alone in restricting players from shooting outside the area. Many top flight bosses show their players how the percentages of those efforts going in are much lower than a cross, cutback or well-worked team move.
In terms of enjoyment for fans and the players, though, we all love a 30-yard screamer don’t we?
They say rules are there to be broken. So if Antonio is that confident in his abilities perhaps he should let one fly to prove Moyes wrong when he’s back from injury.
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