Andre Ayew is set to return to the West Ham lineup tonight. But will he replace Masuaku out wide or Carroll up front?
David Moyes hasn’t had too many selection dilemmas so far at West Ham. With injuries and form playing their part, most positions have picked themselves. However tonight against his former club Everton it seems he will have a tough choice to make. Andre Ayew is back fully fit, and was in form before his illness. So should he come back into the side?
Two candidates are obvious swaps for the Ghanaian. Masuaku, pushed forward from his normal left back role, did fairly well against Leicester. However he made a number of mistakes towards the end of the match and, for me, his complete absence of a right foot hinders his attacking ability.
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Carroll is yet to score this season and has looked out of sorts so far. Against Leicester he barely challenged for a meaningful header. However against an injury ravaged defence such as Everton’s it could be a great game for the big man.
Tricky Decisions
If Ayew comes in for Masuaku, it is likely that Arnautovic will play on the left and Ayew on the right. This will give the Hammers a fairly robust attacking three. Before this season it wouldn’t have been a stretch to say that Ayew, Carroll and Arnautovic were decent Premier League goalscorers. However with form and unrest playing their part is is now a misfiring trio.
This three will give the Hammers firepower to take Everton on. It will also give them a focal point to get up the pitch if Carroll can stay high enough. Arnie and Ayew have enough pace to get in behind the lines from a flick on and enough skill on the ball to take it to feet. As such I think this is probably the favoured decision for Moyes.
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However, given Carroll’s form, he may be tempted to put Ayew up front. This will give West Ham a mobile front three that can get in between the defensive and midfield lines and push and pull at the poor confidence of Everton’s underbelly. It will also help Cresswell to have another defender by trade in front of him, especially in dealing with the potential pace of Lennon or Mirallas.
Moyes has a tough decision to make, but should he drop Masuaku or Carroll? Let us know your thoughts below or on social media.