David Moyes has suddenly turned his back on £36m duo Flynn Downes and Pablo Fornals when they’re just what West Ham need.
Managers make strange decisions when under pressure. And Moyes is most certainly under pressure at West Ham right now.
Previously – and justifiably – untouchable, the Scot has taken West Ham into the last 16 of European competition in consecutive seasons for the first time in their history.
And he is the man responsible for West Ham’s highest ever Premier League points total.
The European runs have both exasperated and masked West Ham’s domestic problems over the last year, though.
The exertions of Thursday-Sunday football have undoubtedly contributed to West Ham winning just 13 of their last 44 Premier League matches.
But on the flip side, those adventures have also been used as a shield to defend Moyes.
What has been clear for some time is that West Ham need more pace, energy and fluidity in the team.
After declaring he wanted to build West Ham around young, hungry players Moyes has somehow conspired to assemble what is officially the Premier League’s oldest squad.
The average age of West Ham’s squad is 27.6 years (transfermarkt). It is no coincidence that the team leading the way at the top, Arsenal, has the youngest (24.1).
One of the most dependable, hardworking and hungry players of the last three years under Moyes has been Pablo Fornals.
Signed for £24m from Villarreal by Moyes’ predecessor Manuel Pellegrini, the Cockney Carzola has been key to everything good about West Ham in the last couple of seasons.
Looking back at West Ham’s £170m summer spend and all things considered, the £12m paid for young Flynn Downes looks to be the money best spent.
Downes was starting to come into his own and really making his stamp in the months leading up to the World Cup break after barely being given a kick by Moyes at the start of the season.
But he was randomly dropped by Moyes as the team lost three games on the spin before the pause for Qatar.
Moyes has suddenly turned his back on £36m duo Downes and Fornals when they’re just what West Ham need.
The Hammers need their energy, enthusiasm workrate and ability on the ball.
But they’re nowhere to be seen right now.
Fornals came on for the last 12 minutes against Arsenal on Boxing Day with the game already gone at 3-1 to the hosts.
And both Fornals and Downes were unused subs in the defeat to Brentford.
When the manager has five substitutes at his disposal but chooses to only use two in a must-win game where West Ham were losing 2-0 at half-time, it is a damning indictment.
Surely Downes alongside Rice and Fornals in place of the completely out of sorts Lucas Paqueta – or even instead of Jarrod Bowen given his woeful form right now – would clearly benefit the team?
Fornals has even played as a left wingback for West Ham before. He would undoubtedly be better in that position than Emerson.
How Downes and Fornals are not getting game time at the moment is baffling.
They are just what West Ham need but instead Moyes has the team sleepwalking into a relegation dogfight.
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