David Moyes Playing Risky Game With Strikers

David Moyes confused many West Ham fans last night when he dropped Sebastien Haller in favour of the recently injured Michail Antonio.

West Ham beat Aston Villa, but Michail Antonio struggled to impact the game during his time on the pitch. Sebastien Haller was probably deserving of the starting berth after scoring a fantastic winning goal against Sheffield United the previous match week.

David Moyes evidently prefers Antonio to Haller which is fine. The Englishman is more fitting to the manager’s system due to his tireless work rate. This drive is likely why Moyes went with Antonio; however, that did turn out to be a mistake. Though dropping Haller would have risked damaging his confidence which had finally started to grow back.

The 30-year-old has a history of struggling with his hamstring and being rushed back into the squad. The decision Moyes took to start Antonio was bewildering especially as Haller has starting to prove his worth in the line-up. Haller came on at half-time alongside Said Benrahma and put in a solid shift as West Ham won the match.

The Ivorian striker has had a tough time since his move to the London Stadium and has become a divisive figure between Hammers fans. Some see the towering striker as lazy whereas as others see him as being starved of quality service. In recent weeks, however, Haller has shown improvement to all aspects of his game.

Either way with Antonio just returning from injury Haller should have kept his place in the starting eleven. This was proved as Antonio looked tired from early on, meaning that he could not have his usual impact on the game. The work rate and pressing that Antonio has in his game is the main difference between himself and Haller.

So if Antonio is unable to press opposition defences, then he loses his advantage over Haller. The 26-year-old striker has one less goal than Antonio in the Premier League, despite playing substantially fewer minutes (182 minutes). Looking at their stats, it could be argued that Haller is the more clinical striker and deserving of the starting spot over Antonio.

Antonio is clearly vital to the side on the pitch and in the dressing room, but in the meantime, Haller should shoulder the responsibility of leading the line. The English forward can not help the team from the medical room should he aggravate his hamstring. It would be wiser to use Antonio as an impact substitute for the next few weeks.