West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma key to club’s survival, win ratio triples when he starts
West Ham have been nowhere near their best in the Premier League this season, with the club currently involved in a fierce relegation battle.
Manager David Moyes has failed to get the best out of his talented squad, with the Hammers seemingly struggling to deal with their domestic and European demands.
And the tough tests continue on Sunday (16 April), with West Ham welcoming league leaders Arsenal to the London Stadium.
The Gunners are in fine form and are going strong at the top of the table, with the attacking stars of Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard all enjoying exceptional individual campaigns.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been buoyed even further with the recent return of Gabriel Jesus, who will be certain to pose a real threat when he makes the short trip to East London. There is, however, very positive news for Moyes in the recent return to full fitness of defender Kurt Zouma.
The centre-back missed all four of West Ham’s league games in February with a hamstring injury, having only just missed three league games with a knee injury.
But fortunately for the Hammers he is now back on the pitch, with the 28-year-old key to the club’s Premier League survival.
Such a belief is reinforced by the fact that West Ham’s win ratio jumps from 10% to 36.8% when Zouma starts, according to the official Premier League website.
Moreover, the centre-back has been dribbled past by an opponent just four times all season, resulting in Zouma being labelled his club’s “most influential defender” by the official Premier League website.
“West Ham United’s most influential defender is Zouma, as they prepare to welcome leaders Arsenal on Sunday,” the website states.
“He has missed several matches this season through injury, but when he has been in their starting line-up, it makes a tremendous difference.
“Winning 83.9 per cent of his aerial duels and 69.77 per cent of all duels, his strength and athleticism make West Ham a tougher side to break down.”
The East London outfit find themselves struggling more because of their attacking woes than their defensive ones, but those categories may be evenly balanced had Zouma missed more of the campaign. The defensive rigidity comes despite the constant centre-back partnership changes Moyes has made this season.
Staying fit will be Zouma’s main personal goal in the coming weeks, with that fitness set to give the club a real chance of avoiding the drop.
Losses for fellow strugglers Leicester, Everton and Southampton on Saturday (15 April) will give the Hammers some much-needed relief ahead of their game with Arsenal, but their destiny remains very much in their own hands as they continue their fight for safety.