West Ham United: Moyes must utilise Ben Johnson v Bayer Leverkusen amid Jarrod Bowen update
David Moyes must call upon Ben Johnson as West Ham prepare for a crucial Europa League second-leg clash against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday (18 April).
The 24-year-old is involved in a strange contract situation at the London Stadium, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season, and has been linked with an exit.
However, the full-back still has a lot to offer for the Hammers as the club aims to progress to the Europa League semi-finals and accomplish a stunning comeback against the Bundesliga champions.
Already 2-0 down after the first leg, thanks to late goals from Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface, West Ham’s job has been made significantly harder.
Lucas Paqueta picked up an important yellow card during the match, meaning he is suspended, and now Jarrod Bowen has been ruled out of the tie through injury. [Daily Mail]
Despite being a natural right-back for the Hammers, Johnson has been played out of position on several occasions this season, even being deployed on the left wing against Arsenal.
David Moyes must utilitse Ben Johnson in West Ham United v Bayer Leverkusen
While it is unlikely that Moyes will play Johnson on the wing again, Emerson Palmieri’s suspension could mean that the full-back is called upon to defend against the likes of Nathan Tella, Hofmann, Amine Adli and Florian Wirtz.
Aaron Cresswell has been used more often by Moyes in the last few weeks, which could also suggest that he will be played in Emerson’s absence, pushing Johnson further forward.
In the first leg, the Scot set up rather defensively, with five defenders and two deep-lying midfielders, and that same tactic could be used again, just without Paqueta, Bowen and Emerson.
Miracles are certainly possible in the footballing world, and Moyes will be depending on one if they are to overturn the two-goal deficit at the London Stadium on Thursday night.
In other West Ham news, Alan Brazil and Ray Parlour shared their David Moyes verdict.
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