West Ham boss David Moyes has openly admitted that playing with five at the back was a big mistake against Aston Villa yesterday.
The Hammers manager mixed things up at half-time and reverted to a back four, bringing on Said Benrahma in place of Emerson Palmieri.
West Ham were awful in the opening 45 minutes but looked like a different squad in the second.
Yesterday, the three points were all that counted. It would have been ideal if the players had also turned in a top-notch effort, but when you’re searching for your first points of the season, you take any win you can get.
Moyes was plainly unhappy with his team throughout the first period against Aston Villa…
David Moyes admits to making a major error against Aston Villa.
For the Hammers’ match against Villa, the Scot started new recruit Emerson Palmieri as a left wing-back, with Aaron Cresswell filling in as a left-sided centre-back.
According to Football.London, Moyes confessed that in retrospect, that was the incorrect decision.
“I made that decision because I thought it would give us a chance to play in a way that would cause Villa problems, but it was the exact opposite, I believe.” Villa flourished in it. The good news is that we were tremendously resilient in the first half and did not concede.
That’s a fair assessment from Moyes and fair play to him for admitting that he got it wrong.
It is concerning that he set up that way in the first place though. A back five is the way to go when we play the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool in order to close off the passing lanes.
Against the likes of Aston Villa, the West Ham players should be imposing their qualities onto the opposition.
And hopefully Moyes has learned that from yesterday’s performance at Villa Park.
