David Moyes must axe ‘Really poor’ Kurt Zouma after West Ham United drama
As West Ham captain, Kurt Zouma is currently under considerable pressure from the fans amid a string of poor results at London Stadium.
Of course, Hammers manager David Moyes has taken the brunt of the blame for his footballing tactics, but the Scot can be nothing without his star players, with multiple letting him down against Arsenal on Sunday 11 February.
Hooked at half-time, Zouma was one of those big disappointments during West Ham’s 6-0 defeat to the Gunners, having been dubbed “really poor” by Troy Deeney as the former Watford striker analysed the game on BBC’s Match of the Day 2 on Sunday (11 February).
With the whole side taking part in the six-goal drumming, it seems harsh to single out one player, but the Frenchman must be held to much higher expectations than his teammates with the captain’s armband on.
Arsenal held the majority of possession during the match, so of Zouma’s minimal 16 attempted passes, he managed to complete just 69 per cent of them. Playing out from the back seemed an unlikely option, forcing West Ham to go long, but the defender’s 0 per cent long ball accuracy was particularly unhelpful. [FotMob]
He also won 0 per cent of his aerial duels during his 45 minutes on the pitch, forcing Moyes into a half-time substitution as Zouma was replaced by Konstantinos Mavropanos, alongside Kalvin Phillips replacing Edson Alvarez.
Konstantinos Mavropanos earns West Ham opportunity
Having started and scored in West Ham’s last meeting with Arsenal, a 2-0 victory at Emirates Stadium in December, the circumstances were much different this time as he was welcomed into the match at 4-0 down.
Despite conceding a further two goals in the second half, with Bukayo Saka securing his brace before a beautiful effort from former Hammer Declan Rice, the Greek centre-back’s performance was much improved on Zouma.
Compared to his defensive teammate, Mavropanos maintained an 88 per cent passing accuracy, including a 75 per cent long ball accuracy, firing balls into Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus up front. [FotMob]
The 26-year-old was more secure in defence too, winning 67 per cent of his tackles, 62 per cent of his ground duels, and 100 per cent of his aerial battles. The difference between him and Zouma was day and night.
With a vital match against Nottingham Forest on the horizon (17 February), Mavropanos looks to have made his case to start alongside Nayef Aguerd in a defensive partnership, with Zouma needing to be axed by Moyes for the sake of the team.
In other West Ham news, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have spoken in support of Moyes.
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