28 games into the season, West Ham sit 16th in the table, having incurred 4 losses in their last 6 games. The Hammers are in the midst of a relegation battle, despite having much higher aspirations at the start of the campaign. David Moyes has been going through a tumultuous time since taking over from Manuel Pellegrini in December of last year.

David Moyes 2019/20 : P11 W3 D2 L6 Win%:27

Manuel Pellegrini 2018/19: P64 W24 D11 L29 Win%:37.5

David Moyes 2017/18: P31 W9 D10 L12 Win%:29

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The ex-Everton boss arrived with the objective of saving West Ham from another disappointing season, one which they entered having made sizable investment, bringing in the likes of Pablo Fornals and arguably a flop in £45M forward Sebastien Haller. Moyes has been making a lot of noise about needing a new Arnautovic. The Austrian performed excellently to lift West Ham during Moyes’ first spell at the club. He chose to bring in Jarrod Bowen for £18M in the hope he would be that man. Having never played in the premier league, his price seemed inflated. However, after having scored 17 goals so far this season in the Championship for Hull, it seems like a worthwhile investment. After all English players generally do have added inflation, purely for being English, in what is referred to as the English premium.



In the 3 appearances he has featured in so far, he has looked lively, but it is way too early to comment on the young man as he looks to adjust to the Premier League.

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Shot on Goal by Bowen – Getty Images 2020 – https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/jarrod-bowen-of-west-ham-united-has-a-shot-on-goal-during-news-photo/1203003598?adppopup=true

Despite Injuries to Wilshere, Yarmolenko, and Fredericks, Moyes has still got a very respectable first eleven that should be challenging for the Europa League qualifying spots – yet here they are again. There was a platform to build on after last season’s 10th place finish, where the team showed glimpses of quality high attacking pressure from the flanks. Going into the 2019/20 season, things looked exciting for West Ham.

So what went wrong?

It’s a mixture of tactics and squad mentality. Mark Noble has been working his legs off in the midfield compared to his teammates, Declan Rice and Thomas Soucek. Both have been lacklustre and constantly misplace passes. That has been one of the undoings of the team’s ability to hold on to leads, or salvage draws. Mark Noble was one of the only players to express his views on new appointee Moyes when he arrived, and expressed a new found vigour and energy within the team; this appointment seems to have resonated with him and a few other players. However, many of the other players selected don’t show any passion or noticeable effort during games. Basic fundamentals such as tracking back, as well as basic passing! Declan Rice was culpable in particular, during West Ham’s 3-2 defeat to Liverpool. He misplaced passes, took heavy touches, and played wayward through balls, also making futile clearances.



Not to just lampoon the midfielders, the forwards must share some of the blame. Michail Antonio has been a shadow of his exciting entry into the league, when he first signed from Nottingham Forest. Arguably his poor decision making has been the defining feature this season, opting to shoot from 30 yards out on two occasions in the match against Man City in the last 10 minutes, and then spurning the chance to equalise in the last few minutes against Liverpool. Ultimately, his poor concentration and decision making lead to a fumbled touch, leaving him to rue another chance.

If Moyes wants to add creativity and form an attacking threat on the wings as well as in the box, he needs to work on Michail Antonio – Adding confidence back into his game. Improvements on the basics are a must. Even as a spectator, shouting at the TV screen to pass off the ball quickly, asking for clever decision making when in possession and knowing when to recycle possession back to the midfield or defence are clear to any football fan. This must be even more frustrating for a West Ham United Supporter.

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It’s clear Moyes has a lot of work to do if he wants to keep the team afloat this year, let alone fulfil the chairman’s targets of Europa League. Moyes might regret his choice to rejoin West Ham after leaving on good terms previously, which started to suggest his managerial career was on the up, after a miserable time since leaving Everton.