WHZ view: Risk-free Moyes must place West Ham faith in Diop soon
Issa Diop was once heralded as one of the top young centre-backs in Europe, but his struggles to regain his place back in the West Ham team is a worrying sign.
Diop began the season in the West Ham XI, starting their first three fixtures against Newcastle, Charlton and Arsenal, before testing positive for COVID on September 22 on the day of their League Cup game against Hull City, alongside manager David Moyes and midfielder Josh Cullen.
West Ham have played 15 games since that 5-1 win against Hull, with Diop starting just one, against Crystal Palace on December 16, while he made a solitary substitute appearance against Fulham on November 7.
In his absence, Fabian Balbuena has stepped up admirably, and retained his place in the side even after Diop made his return from the virus, but it is a recent decision by Moyes that will have the French defender considering his hierarchy in the West Ham squad
Balbuena was absent from Tuesday’s 0-0 draw at Southampton, with new recruit Craig Dawson surprisingly selected for his first Hammers appearance since joining from Watford in October.
Diop, meanwhile, was rooted to the bench, and it will have been a concerning sight for him to see a 30-year-old signing from the Championship seemingly above him in the pecking order, especially considering he has played just once so far this season, for Watford against Newport County in the League Cup.
Moyes opts for experience
There are questions marks over whether Moyes places enough faith in younger players.
The draw at Southampton featured a line-up that was West Ham’s oldest of the Premier League season so far, with an average age of 28.8, per Transfermarkt.
Only Crystal Palace (multiple times) and Burnley (29.5 v Sheffield United on December 29) have named an older starting XI than West Ham this season.
The West Ham back five against Southampton contained only one player under the age of 30, in the form of 28-year-old Ryan Fredericks. Vladimir Coufal, the regular right back this season, is the same age as Fredericks.
While Moyes has given 20-year-old Ben Johnson some game time this season, it’s still been rather minimal, and the stats point towards Moyes favouring an experienced back line.
After keeping a clean sheet in their last game, it might be wise to stick with the defence, but Moyes, and particularly the club, should be wary of further upsetting a valuable asset as the January transfer window kicks into action.
Moyes might be better served placing some faith in Diop if he wants to build a long-term project at the London Stadium.
In other West Ham news, Moyes reportedly keen on signing Bournemouth striker in January.