Jan Molby: David Moyes and West Ham United are ‘petrified’ of big away games
Former Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby has claimed that David Moyes and West Ham have a weakness and that they are “petrified” of playing away from home, ahead of their trip to Anfield.
Molby claimed that Moyes is incapable of getting performances out of his team when they travel to bigger sides away from the London Stadium and predicted an easy win for the Anfield side.
While he admitted it could be tricky dealing with West Ham’s set-piece prowess, Molby has claimed the Hammers won’t be “anywhere near” Liverpool’s quality when the two sides clash.
Speaking on the Anfield Index podcast on 20 September, Molby stated: “In terms of quality, they [West Ham] shouldn’t be anywhere near us, and I don’t think they will be either.
“I think they’ll come with a clear plan, which is – I like David Moyes, I like David Moyes as a man, I like him as a manager, he plays to their strengths, but he has a problem playing against the better teams away from home.
“He is simply petrified. He can’t get his team to play.
“So I assume they’ll come, and it’ll be all about defending deep and trying to hit you on the break and not enough quality. But it can be awkward – long throw-ins, set-pieces whatever, but I expect this to be… I think we’ll be fine.”
Overconfidence, or is he right?
Almost one year ago, The Sun [October 2022] shared that, since Moyes had taken over as manager in East London, the Hammers had not won a single away game against the big six sides, winning just four points from a possible 72.
One year on, Moyes’ side have played six games against the big six sides away from home and failed to pick up a single point in any of them, compounding the claims that they simply can’t handle the big games on the road.
Molby’s comments, however standoffish and dismissive they may seem, are rooted in fact and that will be a tough one for West Ham to take, given their confidence in heading to Anfield on Sunday.
Michail Antonio has recently spoken out [The Footballer’s Football Podcast] in a similar vein, backing his side to finish above Liverpool this season, and perhaps prompting the dismissive response from Molby. It is at Anfield on Sunday where both claims will be put to the test.
In other West Ham news, a BBC pundit has backed two players in their decision to turn down West Ham in the summer.