Paul Merson suggested that David Moyes should instruct Declan Rice and Mark Noble to just sit in front of the back four, when speaking on Sky Sports’ Gillette Soccer Saturday programme yesterday (Saturday February 1st, 14:48).
The Hammers are in real trouble at the moment. Moyes’s side currently sit in 18th place in the Premier League table, one point adrift of safety.
The east London outfit threw away two valuable points against Brighton yesterday, having led 3-1 after 57 minutes.
West Ham actually played very well for the first two thirds of the game. But hey fell apart with half an hour to play, with shambolic defending and individual errors costing them the victory.
And Merson suggested that Moyes should perhaps be more pragmatic, when speaking on Sky Sports’ Gillette Soccer Saturday programme yesterday (Saturday February 1st, 14:48):
“If I was David Moyes, I would tell Declan Rice and Mark Noble to just sit in front of the back four, and let the other four (attacking) players do whatever they want to do.”
Merson is spot on
Since David Moyes took over at the end of December, West Ham have shipped 11 goals in six Premier League games.
If the Hammers are to avoid the drop this season, they must become more difficult to beat. They simply cannot continue to ship goals regularly in every game that they play.
And using Noble and Rice as a shield for their fragile defence might just help them tighten up at the back.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
