David Moyes has done a transformative job since taking the reins at West Ham United for the second time. From steering them to survival in the 2019-20 season to securing back-to-back European qualifications, you can’t deny Moyes has exceeded expectations at every turn. But the shine is starting to fade at the London Stadium.
West Ham sit 15th in the Premier League table. Should they remain there it will be their lowest position at Christmas since the season Moyes swooped in to replace the doomed Manuel Pellegrini. The Hammers are not talked about as a club in crisis as often as their situation suggests. Moyes’ men have won just one of their last five Premier League games, losing three of them. Yet the sense of lingering misery one would associate with such tame form is not yet prevalent. This is perhaps due to their exploits in the Europa Conference League.
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West Ham might be underwhelming on a weekly basis in the league, but their European form has been scintillating. Moyes has steered his side to six wins from six group stage games, sweeping aside Anderlecht, Silkeborg and FCSB. The fact these victories have been liberally sprinkled in between multiple league disappointments, a symptom of the Thursday-Sunday scheduling, has clouded perceptions.
A clearer look at the Hammers’ struggles arrived on Wednesday night, as they joined the glut of London teams eliminated from the EFL Cup. Moyes’ side went out on penalties to Championship team Blackburn Rovers. The manager picked a similar cocktail of first-teamers and promising youngsters that had taken the Europa Conference League by storm. But they were given a short, sharp shock by a similarly-altered Blackburn line-up.
The result shone a greater light on the fact that, despite their exploits on the continent, things aren’t alright at home for West Ham. They have one more game to play before club football pauses for the World Cup in Qatar. A home tie against fellow strugglers Leicester City is probably the best fixture they could have hoped for, but it remains a double-edged sword. Win and West Ham can go into the six-week break in more confident spirits. Lose to a Foxes side who have flattered to deceive, and it may spark a rethink.
Moyes deserves a chance to turn this around. The Europa Conference League campaign shows he is still capable of inspiring his men. But the owners would be wise not to put too much stock in that competition. It’s status as Europe’s tertiary competition means the quality of many of the teams they meet will be far below those of their Premier League colleagues. To put it into perspective, the same Leicester side who sits just one place above them in 14th reached the ECL semi finals last season.
Moyes deserves the chance to at least try and shuffle his deck in January. It is clear that, despite some promising young talent emerging, there is surgery to be done on this squad. A pair of European qualifications is enough to justify Moyes being the surgeon. But if results don’t improve in the New Year, no matter what happens in the Conference League, West Ham will need to take decisive action.
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