West Ham United: Gary Neville horrified by Konstantinos Mavropanos situation vs Brentford
Gary Neville was horrified by Neal Maupay’s movement to leave Konstantinos Mavropanos in no man’s land as Brentford pulled one back against West Ham.
After Jarrod Bowen’s quick-fire double put the Irons 2-0 up after just seven minutes the atmosphere was brought back down as Neal Maupay was the beneficiary of Kurt Zouma’s weak clearance down the left to run across a stationary Mavropanos to scoop the ball past Alphonse Areola in the 13th minute.
The Greek defender had been brought into the starting XI at the expense of Nayef Aguerd with David Moyes in dire need of a result, without a win since the New Year and his job under major scrutiny, but his plight gave Neville flashbacks to his playing days.
The ex-Manchester United defender reacted to the French forward’s movement live on the Sky Sports match commentary to say (8.14pm): “It makes me shiver a little bit as a defender because I think, ‘That would have done me’.”
Neal Maupay leaves West Ham defender for dead at the London Stadium
The Hammers couldn’t have asked for a better start as star man Bowen fired them two ahead against their recent bogey side.
The boost of Lucas Paqueta’s return to the starting XI may have provided enough of a psychological boost for the team to suddenly look more effective going forward, but there was no corresponding effect on the defence.
Maupay’s goal made the London Stadium a nervy place again when the Irons looked to be well on the way to a morale-boosting first win of 2024, and even if West Ham do end up winning this game the back half of the line up still looks an issue.
When Moyes’ strength is supposed to be his defensive set up, and his focus on that a major part of why his position is under pressure among elements of the fanbase, he will not be safe if he can’t deliver stability at the back.
The Bees striker’s movement was strong for the goal, but it remains a definite concern that whether it be Zouma, Aguerd or Mavropanos at the back this Moyes side can be got at.
In other West Ham news, the Irons face competition from rivals Millwall in the hunt to sign a non-league sensation.
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