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David Moyes must take Manuel Lanzini off at half-time in West Ham v Arsenal
West Ham made a cautious start against Arsenal at the London Stadium but the quality of the game was really poor.
Both the sides were happy to take control over possession with the Gunners have taken a 1-0 lead through Rob Holding.
As the match went on, it was the visitors who grew more in confidence. However, Jarrod Bowen scored the equaliser to make it 1-1, and now it’s game on.
One player who did absolutely nothing for the Hammers in the first half was Manuel Lanzini.
Along with Said Benrahma, he was very poor in the opening 45 minutes, and Moyes should take him off.
Lanzini hardly made an impact in the game. Unlike Declan Rice to Mark Noble, he was one of those players who had the least number of touches, despite playing in a more central position.
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With Michail Antonio not included in the starting line-up, Lanzini was tasked to play the pivot and link up with the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma.
Lanzini was largely anonymous on the pitch, as he wandered around. On one occasion he did make an interception in defence but quickly gave the ball away.
The Hammers created very little going forward and most of the attacks came from the right-hand side, through Vladimir Coufal.
Lanzini got a very good opportunity inside the box, but he couldn’t direct his shot on target either.
In a London derby, you’d expect more urgency from the West Ham players, but Lanzini is failing to make an impact on this game.
Benrahma has been lively on the left hand side but he has failed to either get a shot on target or get past players to get himself into the box.
He couldn’t compete physically against Holding and conceded the goal in the process. It was ridiculously poor.
A huge improvement is indeed, but Lanzini in the middle is not working. He has been woeful, and that’s a compliment.
In other West Ham news, Ray Parlour has given his verdict on the future of this current ace.
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