Gabby Agbonlahor: David Moyes ‘not scared’ to change West Ham tactics unlike ‘stubborn’ managers
David Moyes’ ability to “change it up” in games for West Ham United sets him apart from other “stubborn” Premier League managers, according to Gabby Agbonlahor.
On talkSPORT, Agbonlahor praised the Scotsman for not being “scared” to change up his tactics when facing tougher opposition.
The Hammers are currently undefeated in the Premier League with convincing victories over Brighton and Chelsea showing their effective counter-attacking.
Speaking live on talkSPORT, Agbonlahor said: “What’s good about David Moyes is that, like against Chelsea recently, he’s not scared to sit in and play counter-attacking.
“He can change it up in different games. Some managers are so stubborn they get battered against top teams.”
Old dog, old tricks
While Moyes’ tactics with West Ham this season have not been revolutionary, the football veteran has got the Hammers performing the basics to an excellent standard.
While they were very active in the latter stages of the transfer market and have brought in a wealth of elite-level midfield talent, Moyes is still eager to get the most from any opponent and will adjust his tactics accordingly.
While this may seem like an obvious observation, the likes of Vincent Kompany at Burnley, in his attempts to make his Guardiola-ball work with a mostly-Championship level squad, have been found out by the Premier League’s top sides.
Moyes, in fixtures against Chelsea and Brighton, showed that he can effectively deploy counter-attacking football to a very high level scoring a combined six goals across these games.
The Hammers are not a particularly trigger-happy side. In fact, they place 15th in total shots in the Premier League this season. However, they are clinical with the shots they do take, which often comes from counter-attacking moves. [Premier League]
West Ham score 0.17 goals for every shot they take – the highest in the league. While an element of good fortune and top form may have inflated these stats slightly, it is a very encouraging start from Moyes and his boys. [FBRef]
In other West Ham news, a new Hammers signing is set to miss training ahead of the Manchester City clash.