David Moyes in Trouble at West Ham United

1083

David Moyes has done a tremendous job at West Ham United in recent years. When he took over the job in December 2019, the Hammers were in relegation trouble and Moyes kept them in the Premier League, finishing 16th in the table.

The following season, Moyes guided West Ham United up the table and they produced a tremendous campaign to finish in 6th place and qualify for the Europa League group stages.

The 2021/22 season saw West Ham United finish in 7th place and qualify for the Europa Conference League play-off round, giving the club two European campaigns in succession.

With two top seven finishes in the Premier League and European football, West Ham United started to spend money.

In the summer of 2022, Moyes added Nayef Aguerd, Alphonse Areola, Flynn Downes, Gianluca Scamacca, Maxwel Cornet, Thilo Kehrer, Emerson Palmieri, and Lucas Paquetá to his squad.

The club spent over €180 million in the transfer market yet having played 17 matches in the Premier League, West Ham United find themselves on only 14 points.

West Ham United have won only 4 of their 17 league games and have lost 11 of their Premier League fixtures this season.

West Ham United suffered only 14 defeats all last season and only 11 in the 2020/21 campaign. That underlines what a poor start it has been to the 2022/23 season for West Ham United and David Moyes.

What makes matters worse for Moyes is that following the 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Brentford in their most recent Premier League fixture, West Ham United have lost their last 5 league games.

You must go back to the management of Slaven Bilic between March and April 2017 to find the last time West Ham United lost 5 consecutive games in the league.

The manner of the defeats and the ways goals have been conceded will be of real concern to Moyes. Defensive lapses from throw-ins proved costly in the defeat to Brentford and the West Ham United board will be looking on and wondering if Moyes is the man to turn things around at the club.

West Ham United have scored only 13 goals in the Premier League this season, with only three clubs scoring fewer.

However, they rank 5th in the table for the most shots in the Premier League this season, meaning either the quality of their chances is poor or they are not clinical enough in-front of goal.

West Ham United are currently 16th in the table for big chances missed in the Premier League which means most of their shots are not good chances to score.

Keeping clean sheets has also been an issue for West Ham United, with only 3 clean sheets in 17 league fixtures this season. Only Leeds United and Southampton have a worse record.

With the games coming thick and fast following the World Cup, Moyes knows he needs to start winning and fast.

His record over the past two seasons should count for something but if West Ham United drop into the relegation zone in January, the Scot could find himself out of a job early in the New Year.