West Ham United: James Ward-Prowse could force David Moyes sack decision with new admission
West Ham United supporters remain incredibly divided over David Moyes as his contract nears its end at the London Stadium.
The Scotsman has been criticised by some supporters for his defensive first style of play this season, particularly in the biggest matches where the Irons boss has been guilty of setting up with a low block.
In the first leg of Hammers’ Europa League clash with Bayer Leverkusen, Moyes opted to try and absorb the Bundesliga champions’ pressure and hit on the break, but it came back to bite him as Xabi Alonso’s side scored two late goals.
While the Scotsman has refused to rule out setting up similarly at the London Stadium for the second leg on Thursday (18 April), James Ward-Prowse appears to have criticised the tactical plan and called for West Ham to go “all guns blazing”.
As quoted by the official West Ham website (17 April) he said: “We all know Leverkusen are a good team, but personally I think we showed them a bit too much respect in the first leg, and we didn’t quite pack the punch that I think we can.
“We need to go into Thursday all guns blazing, and we know the first goal is going to be crucial. We have to make sure it’s us who get that goal, and we need to use the occasion and the atmosphere to our advantage.”
Will West Ham United sack David Moyes after James Ward-Prowse admission?
Ward-Prowse’s comments suggest that the players have similar thoughts about Moyes’ tactical set-up to the supporters at the London Stadium. His admission that the Irons showed Leverkusen “too much respect” is a brave statement to make.
West Ham didn’t pack the punch that they are capable of because the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus were pinned back in a low block rather than flourishing towards the top end of the pitch.
If the players in the Hammers’ changing room are questioning Moyes’ decision-making, that could massively impact whether or not the Scotsman opts to sign on the dotted line and agree an extension at the London Stadium.
Should the likes of Ward-Prowse be unhappy under his management, it could even see Moyes sacked. As the end of the season and his contract draws closer, it is hard to see how he keeps his job.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers are “stuck” after new PSR regulations were introduced in the Premier League
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