Nothing says missing the point better than the pundits who write off disgruntled supporters as ‘moany’ because they dare to see style of play as important (if not more so) than grinding out results. If as supporters all we did was check the score at the end of the game, then maybe we would arrive at the same superficial conclusion as radio talking heads such as Stelling and Sutton. But many of us have more invested in the action than that – and expect more.
If the win against Brentford had hinted at a new spirit of adventure, then the performance at Everton was quick to dispel the idea. It was a return to safe space of caution and negativity that has become the club’s trademark in recent years. Moyesball above all else! Some said that Goodison Park is a difficult place to go and get a result, yet the Toffees have managed to lose half of their home league games this season.
Had it not been for the extraordinary events of added time, the game would have been instantly forgettable. The first 45 minutes was as drab as expected and although it did liven up after the break, it was largely down to the hosts smelling blood. Entering the closing stages, Everton looked to be the only team likely to break the deadlock. But unconvincing finishing and a man-of-the-match display from Alphonse Areola had contrived to keep the scores level. Areola is really up there with the best of keepers when it comes to shot-stopping and instinctive saves. If only he were more commanding in the air!
The Hammers had played their brightest football midway through the first half before apparently losing interest. In the second period they simply dropped deeper and rarely threatened even on the counter. Lucas Paqueta had one of those days which make you question whether the links to Manchester City are real or imaginary. Are the flicks, tricks and first-time passes what Guardiola is looking for in a play-maker? Particularly as a replacement for Bernardo Silva who is all about keeping possession and recycling the ball? And when JWP is dragged deeper and deeper into defensive midfield he becomes largely anonymous. No surprise that both were later withdrawn.
As the game approached added time the best hope was the Hammers holding on for a point. What happened next was way beyond expectations. As the wayward cross from Mohammed Kudus floated behind Tomas Soucek who would have imagined a deft one touch control and the ball being lashed into the net with the outside of the boot. It was an exquisite finish that even the Czech’s peculiar goal celebration could not dampen.
By now it was a case of thinking at least we won’t lose – but the third goal put the icing firmly on the cake. It was the classic counterattack from an opponents mistake in the attacking third. A strong run from Jarrod Bowen and a perfectly timed pass into the path of Edson Alvarez’s gut-busting run was finished with aplomb by the Mexican. Alvarez was the pick of the outfield players all afternoon for me while Soucek made two major game-changing contributions which encapsulated his value to Moyes – one stunning goal and a desperate goal line clearance.
The performance was quintessential Moyesball. And despite everything it was impossible not to rejoice in the last gasp nature of the victory, even allowing for what had gone before. Like a substandard movie rescued by a jaw dropping finale – the third in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, for example.
With just two months of the season remaining the future of David Moyes at the London Stadium continues to teeter on the brink. It could go either way. At one extreme, we finish 6th and win the Europa League and he has to be given the chance to stay. At the other, we finish 10th or 11th and bow out of Europe in or before the quarter-final and he packs his bags. It leaves plenty of room for dithering in between and an extended period of uncertainty. I’d wager we’ve not heard the last of the results versus performances predicament.
This week sees the return of Thursday/ Sunday football with tonight’s visit to Freiburg followed by a home Premier League encounter with Burnley. Being drawn against a side who had been in the same qualification group was a huge disappointment – for Freiburg as well as the Hammers. But it will give the army of away fans the opportunity to visit the Black Forest which was denied to them previously by a UEFA ban.
The biggest concern is one of the unwritten laws of football which states that any team who came out on top in the group stage will always have the tables turned on them during the knockout. I have no evidence to back this up other than paranoia. Much will depend on what the Freiburg coach learned from the two-legged experience of playing against a Moyes side. We are not the most difficult team to work out and frustrate.
Since the last meeting, Freiburg have stumbled along in mid-table Bundesliga obscurity, the lowest scorers in the top half of the table and without a league win in their last seven outings. They did, however, manage a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich last weekend and had earlier beaten Lens of France over two legs in the Europa League qualifying round.
We are past the stage now where fringe players are given a chance to shine in European games, and I expect Moyes to go close to full strength tonight. The only anticipated changes are Lukasz Fabianski replacing Areola in goal and Nayef Aguerd coming in the fragile Kurt Zouma. Apart from that, it will be as you were.
There is no doubting that nights of European action under the floodlights provide an added gloss to the season. Three consecutive years has been unprecedented – a fourth would be dreamland, but possibly out of reach. Do two consecutive league wins mean we are suddenly a team in form who have turned a corner? Or were they simply hard-won wins against struggling sides that we should expect to beat? The Hammers should be favourites to get through this particular tie but it is difficult to see past Liverpool or Leverkusen as eventual winners.
On Sunday we can look forward to the visit of relegants-elect Burnley to the London Stadium. Did you know that only Burnley and Sheffield United have had fewer touches in the opposition box than West Ham in this season’s Premier League? Could be in line for a pulsating thriller. COYI!
Under The Hammers 