David Moyes must go for broke and start Danny Ings for West Ham against Tottenham Hotspur with Michail Antonio misfiring
West Ham face another crucial London derby against Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday [19 February] and David Moyes must be brave and start Danny Ings instead of misfiring Michail Antonio.
The 30-year-old completed a £15million switch from Aston Villa to the London Stadium during the January window but was sidelined shortly after making his debut for the Hammers against Everton.
The Hammers travel to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday looking to claim another scalp against their capital rivals as they aim to steer themselves clear of a needless relegation dogfight.
And boss Moyes will have a major decision to make as he tries to work out the best formula to topple their inconsistent opponents this weekend.
The Hammers have certainly struggled for goals so far this campaign, only scoring just 19 Premier League goals from 22 games, one of the worst records in the division.
It’s why the club and Moyes were hell-bent on addressing their misfiring attack by snapping up Ings from Aston Villa. The 30-year-old has struggled to address those concerns so far, but that has been down to Moyes’ insistence on sticking with Antonio.
With the Jamaican international struggling to match up to his lofty heights last season, managing to score just once since the turn of the year, it’s probably time Moyes goes for broke and starts Ings instead of his misfiring main man against Tottenham Hotspur.
West Ham can take heart in Ings’ tremendous goalscoring record against their rivals in fact. In nine Premier League games against Spurs in his career, Ings has managed an impressive five goals and another strike in the FA Cup against them too.
If the Hammers are to claim an unlikely scalp against Tottenham this Sunday, they would need their stars to fire on all cylinders once again, and considering Ings’ record against them, Moyes will be incredibly silly not to hand him a start from the off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Or why not start Ings alongside Antonio and Jarrod Bowen allowing the Hammers to be dangerous on the counter through Antonio’s lambasting runs and Bowen’s cutting-edge play in the final third? Both players are certainly capable of providing Ings with the chances to prove his potent scoring abilities once again.
Whatever Moyes decides, his tactical plans for such a crucial encounter have got to centre on Ings this time around.