When new managers are appointed they often have goals in mind. David Moyes has completely revamped West Ham’s defence.
There were a lot of people who said that David Moyes had no chance at sorting West Ham out. Here was a manager who had failed in his last few roles, being relegated the season before. How was he going to do any better than Bilic?
But since his appointment the Hammers have turned into a different side. They’ve looked like fighting for each other, they’ve held their roles and defensively they’ve looked a completely different side. David Moyes has done that nearly all himself, and should be congratulated.
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Building from the middle
Why is it all so different to Bilic’s tenure? For me the big difference is in midfield. Under Bilic the Hammers started off as a consistently attacking side, allowing Payet, Antonio and Lanzini to get forward behind the main striker. Under Moyes we have seen Lanzini putting in far more defensive work than normal. And the other midfielders know their roles.
Against Watford, Moyes’ first game, Kouyate was acting as a ‘box to box’ midfielder. He missed a few golden opportunities, and his roaming position caught his own side out on a few occasions. The same happened against Leicester and Everton, where the Sengalese midfielder’s roaming hurt his team more than it helped. He was still there against City, but in the better performances since he has been benched.
Kouyate is not a bad player. But for me the players around him aren’t good enough to cope with his roaming habits. Obiang and Noble are not quick enough or strong enough to cover extra parts of the pitch if Kouyate gets caught out of position. With Lanzini, Noble and Obiang the Hammers have looked solid, and a real team unit. Kouyate still has a role to play, but he needs to score more goals if he is to justify his ventures forward.
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That solid midfield allows the defence time and information with which to deal with the attack well. Masuaku and Cresswell are working very well together, and Zabaleta is doing well as a right wing back. The shape is consistent throughout, and Moyes should be congratulated on the start of a job well done. He now needs to keep this consistency throughout the season, through injuries and balancing the cup runs.