Friday, March 29, 2024

West Ham: Should the Hammers be looking to part ways with David Moyes over the international break?

Tom Dunstan in Editorial, English Premier League 20 Sep 2022

183 Views
Embed from Getty Images

Handing Everton their first Premier League victory of the season after a toothless display on Sunday afternoon, it is fair to say that West Ham find themselves in the midst of a domestic nightmare.

Eventually getting hit with a 1-0 loss at Goodison Park, the Hammers have dramatically come crashing back down to earth after a famous campaign in east London last season.

While David Moyes’ struggling squad might have reached the semi-finals of the Europa League just a few months ago, the ex-Manchester United boss now finds a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders.

Mustering just a single win from their opening seven Premier League appearances, West Ham also enter the international break sat in the drop zone and showing a string of issues at both ends of the pitch.

After gaining so many plaudits over the past 18 months, where has it all gone wrong for the Hammers this time around?

Issues that stem back further than this season

Although West Ham might have shocked many across Europe last season as they reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, their success on the continent has papered over some rather glaring domestic issues.

Limping their way over the finish line back in May and missing out on the chance to claim back-to-back top-six finishes, Moyes’ struggling squad have endured a hugely worrying run of form throughout the whole of 2022.

Along with managing to pick up a single victory from any of their opening seven contests this time around, the Hammers have also won just a pair of their previous 14 straight top-flight appearances.

Likewise, along with keeping just five Premier League clean sheets over the past 10 months, the east London outfit have also collected a worrying 37 points from their last 35 domestic battles.

With many around the London Stadium fearing that their side could be at the heart of a shock relegation scrap this season, Moyes’ side have also gained a reputation for their glaring problems on the road.

Including Sunday’s 1-0 loss against Everton, West Ham have now lost eight of their previous 10 Premier League contests outside of the capital.

A bizarre approach with new signings

While Moyes might have made it clear last season that he was looking to complete a squad overhaul this summer, few were expecting West Ham to break the bank in the fashion that they did.

Eventually spending in the region of £180million, the Hammers were also the third biggest spenders across the whole of Europe.

Welcoming the likes of Lucas Paquetá, Gianluca Scamacca and Maxwel Cornet to east London this summer, Moyes’ side added nine first-team stars to their ranks.

However, although there was rightfully a huge amount of excitement among the West Ham fanbase, Moyes’ reluctance to hand his new arrivals a chance has been nothing short of bizarre.

Despite handing his summer signings the chance to shine while on Conference League duties, the 59-year-old has simply decided to stick by his favourites from over the past 18 months – something that has seen him receive a huge amount of criticism.

While the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Soucek and Vladimír Coufal might have endured a woeful start to the new campaign, Moyes has refused to make any real alterations to his struggling squad.

Who could come in and replace Moyes?

If the West Ham hierarchy does make the decision to part ways with Moyes over the coming weeks, the questions become who could come in and replace the one-time Manchester United boss?

After breaking the bank this summer and signing a string of exciting European talents, the Hammers should be looking to appoint a manager who matches their expectations.

With Chelsea making the controversial call to sack Thomas Tuchel earlier in the month, the east London outfit could be tempted to make a blockbuster swoop and hand the 49-year-old an immediate Premier League return.

While Tuchel might have received plenty of criticism from West Ham fans following Chelsea’s controversial 2-1 victory on September 3rd, there is no doubt that a shock arrival at the London Stadium would offer the Hammers a real boost.

Likewise, still without a new adventure after leaving PSG over the summer, Mauricio Pochettino is another elite European manager who currently finds himself sat on the sidelines.

Although the ex-Southampton boss might have made his name after a five-year spell at bitter rivals Tottenham, it has been suggested that Pochettino is keen on securing a Premier League return.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Dunstan


Formerly of The Independent, Tom has spent the past six years as one of our senior writers and betting experts. Alongside working with numerous publications from across the globe, Tom also graduated from the University of Falmouth in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Digital Media.
Spending almost the past decade working in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada, he has also spent time featuring in sports radio. Tom can be followed on Instagram - @iamtomdunstan

SHARE OR COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

WE RECOMMEND

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This field is required *

Join the conversation!

or Register

Live Scores

advertisement

Betting Guide Advertisement

advertisement

Become a Writer
More More
Top