Angelo Ogbonna may never start for David Moyes again at West Ham United after what he did in last 48 hours
West Ham United may well have seen Angelo Ogbonna start for the last time under David Moyes after his dreadful error against Olympiacos which further compounded his decline.
The Hammers slipped to their first Europa League defeat this season and their second consecutive loss in all competitions as they were beaten 2-1 by the Greek giants at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.
And veteran centre-back Ogbonna was at fault for Olympiacos’ second goal after he attempted to block a shot but the ball inadvertently bobbled past Alphonse Areola in the West Ham net, meaning the Hammers’ 17-game unbeaten streak in Europe came to an abrupt end.
After the game, the former Juventus centre-back was ripped into by the English media after his mistake and performance on Thursday (26 October).
Evening Standard wrote in their online edition after the match: “Dreadful attempt at a clearance that didn’t need to be made ended in own-goal and crucial Olympiacos cushion before half-time. Booked and maybe a touch fortunate not to receive a second yellow soon after.”
The Italian was given a 3/10 rating while The Independent (26 October) described his mistake as a “Greek tragedy.”
Moyes may well have backed his experienced and veteran defender after the game but will certainly be pondering over his decision to start him and several others after a lacklustre display in Greece.
Ogbonna certainly wasn’t the only culprit, with the likes of Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals, and Danny Ings all failing to take the opportunity Moyes provided them.
However, Ogbonna’s mistake certainly points to an unfortunate decline in his game and for that reason, it’s unlikely we’ll see him start again at the London Stadium.
You simply cannot go to Olympiacos and be playing second-string players as West Ham United learnt on Thursday night.
The former Juventus defender has proven an absolute stalwart whenever he’s been called upon by Moyes in the past but clearly isn’t up to the required level to perform amongst the elite any longer.
With his contract at the London Stadium up in 2024, and no talk of an extension, it’s clear Ogbonna will be allowed to leave next summer but the Hammers should be planning for life after him both now and in the January market.
If the East Londoners harbour any ambitions to win the Europa League come next May, then Moyes should be deploying a full-strength defence from now in the competition.
In other West Ham news, Edson Alvarez revealed who convinced him to make the move to the London Stadium.