Total Breakdown: David Moyes broke down in tears when he broke the awful news about this important player and provided a heartbreaking update.
West Ham United appeared to be in on goal when Kalvin Phillips won the ball close to the halfway line in the 27th minute.
However, Phillips made a careless forward pass that Nottingham Forest’s defense quickly intercepted. Edson Alvarez was given a comparable opportunity in a comparable setting shortly afterward. Once more, a potentially strong attack was foiled before it could launch.
It’s obvious that West Ham has a void in their lineup that may be filled by Lucas Paqueta, both with and without the ball.
In the three games leading up to Paqueta’s calf injury on December 28, West Ham was winning. In one of those games, a 3-0 victory against Wolves, he had a hat-trick of assists; in the other, a 2-0 victory against Manchester United at home, he had another. He assisted in setting up Tomas Soucek’s opening goal in a 2-0 victory over Arsenal on the road before departing the field in the 33rd minute.
West Ham has played six league games since that day, racking up three of the eighteen possible points while scoring just three goals. They started the year with a three-game winning streak, but they have since lost three straight games with a clean sheet.
This team’s lack of finesse in the final third was highlighted by Saturday’s 2-0 away loss to Forest. It was not the 6-0 humiliation Arsenal inflicted at the London Stadium the previous weekend, which left fans questioning their players’ lack of leadership and character.
Three shots on target, zero good opportunities created, and an anticipated goals figure of 0.5 were achieved against a Premier League squad that hadn’t held a clean sheet since November 5. This time, the majority of the story is revealed by the numbers.
Following Paqueta’s departure, David Moyes stated, “We hugely miss him.” People will show you the goals and the way he placed players in to score if you look at his record (since he sustained an injury). It’s been quite significant. Another important point is that his absence has upset the natural equilibrium to the left. We played Mohammed (Kudus) from the left today, even though it’s generally preferable to play him from the right. Bowen’s Jarrod as well. Without Paqueta, we’ve just been having trouble striking that balance.
Moyes has attempted, but failed, to address the dearth of inventiveness after Paqueta’s departure.
He gave Soucek a go at number 10, but the Czech midfielder found it difficult to establish contact with Kudus and Bowen. Despite his many significant goals and consistent service to the east London side, Soucek lacks the technical skill and dexterity necessary to carry out the creative role of connecting the defensive midfield to the attack.
Danny Ings performed the best of the Paqueta replacements in a 2-2 away draw against Sheffield United three weeks ago, but he hasn’t been the starting choice ever then. This week, James Ward-Prowse gave it another go, but the additional creative load did not solve West Ham’s problems. His outstanding performances in the role earlier this season sparked a heated discussion over his England credentials.
With Kalvin Phillips dismissed, West Ham loses miserably at Forest (Getty Images/Richard Pelham))
Michail Antonio got one chance in his first game back from a knee injury he sustained while playing for Jamaica on international duty in November. Antonio started as the only striker. Ben Johnson, a defender by trade who filled in on the wing last week, and Maxwel Cornet took the place of Antonio and full-back Vladimir Coufal shortly after Phillips was sent out for a second yellow card in the 71st minute.
Since joining on loan from Manchester City last month, Phillips has made two starts, given up a goal against Bournemouth, and was now dismissed. Despite his evident talent—he played brilliantly for Leeds United and England before a challenging 18 months with City—the preliminary data indicates Moyes would have been better served providing him with support from players farther up the field.
Although Paqueta has resumed training, the team is hesitant to push him too soon in case his condition worsens. As Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals left for Lyon and Real Betis, respectively, during the winter transfer window, Ings and Cornet are the only experienced offensive alternatives left on the bench. However, they don’t appear to be a major part of Moyes’s current plans because he chose to go with Johnson further forward against Arsenal.
Fans of West Ham are understandably skeptical that their team can secure their first victory of the year against Brentford, who are at home this Monday. Brentford is a team that has lost eight of their past ten league games and is staring down the relegation places.
The pressure from the stands increases on Moyes as they fail to find a solution to their current problems.
Following Phillips’ dismissal on Saturday, the traveling supporters waved a “Moyes Out” banner and chanted “Sacked in the morning!” After Callum Hudson-Odoi’s injury-time goal put Forest ahead, the supporters departed the City Ground in large numbers, with some obviously expecting the Scot—who won a European trophy the previous season—to be fired.
However, he’s eager to remind them that he’s the best West Ham player available, in his opinion.
It would be difficult to argue that there haven’t been many greater moments at West Ham, but we can never win over everyone, Moyes stated. “Given that the team won a trophy (the Europe Conference League) and placed sixth and seventh in the league during his second stint in charge, I think the supporters will have to admit that this is the best time they’ve ever had at the club.”
There can be supervisors who pique their interest more. However, the person seated here benefits more.
Getting that first 2024 victory next weekend will be the best way to reduce the strain.
