David Moyes must axe West Ham star Nayef Aguerd after yet another disaster
David Moyes must drop Nayef Aguerd from his starting XI after a number of disastrous performances for West Ham in recent games, with Konstantinos Mavropanos waiting in the wings.
The defender has been a mainstay in Moyes’ side since his arrival last season but has seen a dramatic drop in his performances in recent weeks, leading to questions about whether transfer rumours had turned his head.
His display against Aston Villa on Sunday 22 October should prove to be the final nail in the coffin in terms of his place in the starting XI, and Mavropanos will be primed and ready to step up.
Three of Aguerd’s last four domestic appearances have seen him struggle to impress, looking lost both on the ball and in defence, and he is getting caught out way too much in key areas. Whether it was getting bullied by Alexander Isak against Newcastle or a stepover from Leon Bailey sending him spinning against Villa, he has been poor.
In the game at Villa Park, the defender conceded four goals, failed to block a shot, make an interception or a tackle at a success rate of 0%, and won just 50% of his ground duels as he struggled to keep a handle on the dynamic Villa attack. [Sofascore]
Even on the ball, the Algerian failed to impress with just 72% passing accuracy, losing the ball 11 times. This has become a running theme for the season, with an average of just 80% accuracy, and losing the ball 9.4 times per game.
His performances against Newcastle and Liverpool told a similar tale, with no interceptions or tackles made across the two games, two of five ground duels won, and losing possession 24 times in 180 minutes of football. His passing accuracy dipped as low as 62% in the Newcastle clash. [Sofascore]
As usual, Mavropanos is expected to feature for the Hammers in their Europa League clash with Olympiacos on 26 October, which will give him the opportunity to prove to his boss that he deserves to start in place of his Algerian teammate.
So far, he has been trusted to start every Europa League game for Moyes, and a return to the country of his birth will provide a chance to show he is capable of stepping up against competitive opponents.
In other West Ham news, Jamie Carragher was shocked by one incident in the Aston Villa clash.