Joe Ellis

Sat 26 February 2022 7:45, UK

One win in five games is something of a rarity for West Ham under David Moyes but that is what is facing the Scotsman right now.

He can’t get goals out of Michail Antonio, despite the red hot form of Jarrod Bowen, and his defence is struggling to keep the doors locked at the other end of the pitch.

Despite all that, the Hammers are still up in sixth and could go a long way to securing their European qualification next season with a win against Wolves on Sunday.

There is one bigger issue that is starting to plague the Irons this season and it comes from their strongest area.

The midfield pairing of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek is maybe one of the strongest in the entire Premier League and they were formidable last season when the Englishman would sit deep more often.

Fast forward to this year and things have swapped around somewhat, with Rice bombing forward and Soucek forced to play the holding role.

It isn’t working. As detailed by Roshane Thomas from The Athletic, the switch in roles has “their numbers dropped considerably”.

Another issue plaguing Soucek more than Rice is fatigue with the Czech Republic international having played more minutes than any other outfield player since his arrival in England.

His 5568 minutes on the pitch is only bettered by Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’ 5580 and that level of stress on the body isn’t sustainable.

But the replacements available to Moyes aren’t really up to it at West Ham with Mark noble winding down his career and Alex Kral yet to shine for the Irons on the rare chances he has been given.

It might be to their detriment in the immediate plans but giving Soucek a week or two off could just be the medicine he needs to get back to his dominant self.

In other West Ham news, our West Ham women’s expert thinks this weekend’s FA Cup trip to Reading is a “great clash” for the team.

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