Kalvin Phillips team news view shared for West Ham United v Arsenal in Premier League clash
Danny Murphy believes David Moyes must put Kalvin Phillips in his West Ham starting 11 against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon (11 February) despite recent errors.
The Hammers will be looking to reclaim their spot in the Premier League top six and claim their first league win since they triumphed over the Gunners on 28 December when they play host to their cross-city neighbours at the London Stadium.
Phillips, signed on loan from Manchester City in the January window, has made a tough start to life in his new surroundings, guilty of errors in his first games against Bournemouth and Manchester United.
However, BBC Match of the Day pundit Murphy shared in his verdict for the Daily Mail (11 February) that should Moyes bench Phillips against the Gunners, the Englishman will have another mountain to climb after going in search of first-team football when he left the Etihad.
He wrote: “Phillips has had a difficult start to life as a Hammer with a couple of mistakes that have led to goals. Would I start him against Arsenal? Absolutely.
“This is a time a new signing needs the manager to keep faith. If David Moyes puts Phillips on the bench today, it will only give him a higher mountain to climb.
“I was in a similar situation when I left Liverpool for Charlton. I didn’t start well and there was talk Alan Curbishley might leave me out against Birmingham. I had a chat with the manager, he stuck with me and I played well. It helped turn things around for me and Phillips has all the tools to do the same.”
David Moyes must stick to the Kalvin Phillips plan
Certainly, Phillips has made some notable errors upon his return to first-team football but that was to be expected given he hasn’t played enough games upon his move to East London.
West Ham fans have to realise that the former Leeds United man has made the move because he wants to find his feet again and mistakes are part and parcel of football and will always occur for Phillips until he gets back into the swing of things.
Like all new signings including some of Moyes’ additions over the summer, mistakes are bound to happen but the question is whether Phillips can move on from them.
What Moyes will certainly be confident in is that the Englishman possesses the experience, maturity and quality to prove himself again and get back to his best football, or else the Irons would not have signed him in the first place.
People forget that Phillips is an established international for England and gets picked even when he hasn’t played much at club level, which tells all you need to know how highly he is regarded in this country.
The 28-year-old is just the player Moyes needs and is a stark upgrade on his defensive midfield options but could prove a dominant and immovable midfield force with summer signing Edson Alvarez.
That partnership must be the one Moyes turns to when they kick off against Mikel Arteta’s men.
In other West Ham news, a first-teamer reportedly received a big-money offer to leave London Stadium in January.
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