David Moyes must hook Edson Alvarez after first-half stinker for West Ham v Arsenal
David Moyes is going to have to hook Edson Alvarez at half-time if West Ham United have any chance of clawing their way back into their clash with Arsenal.
The Irons headed into the break 4-0 down on Sunday (11 February) with William Saliba’s header, Bukayo Saka’s penalty, Gabriel’s late effort and an excellent strike from Leandro Trossard proving to be the difference between the two sides.
As they often have done against Premier League rivals, the Irons set up to absorb the pressure from Mikel Arteta’s side, but they weren’t able to be anywhere near as prolific going forward as they have been previously.
The likes of Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus were made to work off of scraps at the top end of the field, as Moyes’ Hamers repeatedly lumped the ball in behind the Arsenal defence, which Salbia and Gabriel dealt with excellently.
Out of possession, the pressure on Moyes’ side only increased when Alvarez picked up a booking after only nine minutes as he went flying into a reckless challenge with Bukayo Saka when he had absolutely no chance of winning the ball.
That caution was the Mexican international’s eighth yellow card of the campaign, a particularly impressive feat considering that he has only started 20 matches in the Premier League this season and his disciplinary record has been a cause for concern this season.
On the ball, the 26-year-old did try to break up play, but he proved incredibly ineffective out of possession, winning only 57 per cent of his ground duels. Aerially, the former Ajax man lost 100 per cent of his battles as he seemed slightly out of sorts.
That poor form was continued when tackling as Alvarez failed to win any of his three tackles and was even dribbled past twice by the Gunners’ midfield. On the ball, Alvarez misplaced a number of good passes and completed zero per cent of his long passes.
Edson Alvarez may force West Ham to look at Kalvin Phillips
Moyes has alternative options on the bench, one of which being Kalvin Phillips and although the Hammers midfielder has been poor since arriving at the London Stadium, he would be a better option.
Alvarez is heading towards a red card at the moment and Moyes will be risking being reduced to 10 men if he leaves the Mexican international on for the second half. He should act quickly and introduce Phillips into his place.
West Ham are lucky to only be 4-0 down and it is now time for damage limitation from Moyes.
In other West Ham news, Chris Sutton has fired a fresh jibe at Irons supporters over Moyes’ position at the London Stadium
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.