West Ham United: David Moyes must axe Kurt Zouma v Everton despite victory
West Ham claimed their first victory since December as they beat Brentford 4-2 in the Premier League on Monday 26 February.
Jarrod Bowen stole the show at the London Stadium, scoring a hat-trick and ending his seven-game drought in the league, while Emerson Palmieri rocketed home a fourth.
Despite claiming all three points for the first time in 2024, there was still a lot to be desired in defence as Neal Maupay and Yoane Wissa blasted past Alphonse Areola.
Kurt Zouma disappoints again for West Ham United
Much of the Hammers squad has visibly struggled during the last few weeks, with the team shipping two goals to Sheffield United, three goals to Manchester United, and six goals to Arsenal.
Kurt Zouma, who wears the captain’s armband at London Stadium, has failed to step up as a leader and must be dropped when the Hammers visit a pumped-up Everton side at Goodison Park on Saturday 2 March.
Although he played the whole 90 minutes against Brentford, the Frenchman looked uncomfortable against the threat of Maupay and Ivan Toney, misjudging several passes in behind and miskicking multiple clearances.
In the centre of defence, Zouma completed 0 per cent of his tackles, while only winning 50 per cent of his ground duels and 67 per cent of his aerial battles. [FotMob]
His poor performances have been a running theme recently, having been hooked at half-time during the 6-0 hammering from Arsenal and carded in a 2-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.
The 29-year-old failed to make the desired impact in the air at The City Ground, winning 0 per cent of his aerial duels against Taiwo Awoniyi. [FotMob]
Konstantinos Mavropanos must start against Everton
Konstantinos Mavropanos was a perfect example of a rock-solid centre-half against Brentford and was doing his absolute best to sweep up after Zouma.
The Greek defender completed 100 per cent of his attempted tackles and bettered his partner’s ground duels with a 67 per cent success rate. He also made three interceptions and five recoveries, which helped to secure all three points at London Stadium. [FotMob]
Mavropanos must start in the backline against the Toffees in the upcoming fixture, with Nayef Aguerd or Angelo Ogbonna ready to replace Zouma to pair with him.
In other West Ham news, a David Moyes sack admission has been made with David Sullivan talking to Tim Steidten.
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