After losing 9 of their last 12 games, West Ham United sacked manager Manuel Pellegrini and brought back David Moyes to take charge of the reins at London Stadium. Moyes had earlier been at the club for a period of 6 months, guiding them to safety, before Pellegrini was appointed as the manager.
The former Everton and Manchester United manager has a tough task at hand, with Premier League safety the first target before moving on to more complex goals. But, there are quite a few issues at the London club that the Scotsman has to deal with.
Let’s take a look at the 3 key issues David Moyes has to sort out at West Ham United
Add a goal threat to the team
West Ham have been poor in front of goal, scoring just 21 times this season. Their lack of goals can be attributed to the several strikers that were sold in the summer with the Hammers pinning all their hopes on new signing Sebastien Haller. The Frenchman has scored just 5 times since joining the Hammers from Eintracht Frankfurt for a fee of £45 million, which is a club record for West Ham.
The likes of Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson have not contributed enough goals, while there aren’t any other clinical alternatives upfront apart from Haller in the West Ham squad. Moyes should buy a goalscorer in the January transfer window to add competition for that role.
Replacement for Mark Noble
Another area that the Hammers have struggled is in the middle of the park. Declan Rice has been one of the Hammers’ few bright sparks this season, but the other midfielders around him haven’t performed. Mark Noble, captain of West Ham and a player who embodies the spirit and passion of the club, is past his best and should not be a regular starter anymore. Jack Wilshere’s injury problems have persisted while Carlos Sanchez is not good enough for the Premier League.
David Moyes needs to sign a quality midfielder to play alongside Rice, which will give the freedom to attacking midfielders like Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini to go forward and attack.
Form a solid spine
The Hammers have changed several managers over the last few years which has resulted in the club not having a definitive philosophy. Each manager has moved away from the previous manager’s tactics and system, which has not aided in the development of the team.
Moyes has some talented, young players in the squad who should form the spine of the West Ham team going forward. Issa Diop at centre-back has been a revelation since joining the club last season. He, along with Declan Rice, could form a strong spine, with the likes of Lanzini, Fornals and Anderson being the creative outlets in the team. Moyes should build a team around these players and stick to a philosophy that would suit the players that he has at his disposal.
