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Alex Kral opens up on strained relationship with David Moyes at West Ham United
Former West Ham United midfielder Alex Kral has hit out at David Moyes for his lack of support during his stint at the club last season.
The Czech international, who now plays at Schalke 04, spent last season on loan at the London Stadium but struggled for game time, making just six appearances in all competitions.
And the 24-year-old has now opened up on his tortured time in the Premier League, revealing to Capital Football that he only spoke to Moyes individually on one occasion all season long.
He said: “Moyes didn’t speak much with me, he was detached.
“I only spoke to him one time when I went to him, asking him what I needed to improve to play, at a time when Rice and Tomas were out of the game.
“But something was off because if I had been doing everything right I’d be playing, no? So, I tried to speak like this with him, I didn’t go and ask: ‘Why am I not playing?’.
“But he kept saying that I needed to wait for my chance, the rest was between him and me. I kept training hard, apart from one week when I had Coronavirus, I was never injured, I was ready.
“Sadly, there wasn’t much communication, but he wasn’t like that just to me. It’s just the way Moyes is and I don’t take it personally.”
Limited Opportunities
There are always two sides to a story, but if what Kral said is true, he has a point to be a little frustrated about his spell in East London.
Playing just 255 minutes throughout the season can’t be classified as a real opportunity and considering West Ham played in both domestic and European competitions, Kral was probably used a touch sparingly.
However, Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice have struck up a fearsome partnership over the last two seasons in the heart of The Hammers midfield so opportunities were always going to be tough to find for Kral.
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
For Moyes, the midfielder’s words will be a reminder that relationships with every single player under his management could prove extremely important at different stages of the season.
If the Scot were to have an injury crisis, he needs to know he can trust his fringe players to deliver when called upon.