One of David Moyes’ most important players for West Ham United has just utterly contradicted him before of the match against Bayer Leverkusen.
Tomorrow night, David Moyes will play one of the most important games of his West Ham career as his team plays Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinal.
If the Hammers want to advance to the semi-finals, they will need to overcome a two-goal deficit, but the odds are stacked against us.
For the match at the London Stadium against Xabi Alonso’s team, Moyes might be without up to seven players.
The return of Jarrod Bowen, though, might provide us a boost; if he’s fit, that would be a huge boost.
Yet, after hearing the manager and one of his players speak today, I saw one major worry before tomorrow’s game.
Before Leverkusen, a West Ham player flatly defies David Moyes
The manager of the Hammers talked to the media this afternoon, and one of his important players gave a statement on the team’s official website regarding the impending matchup with the Bundesliga champions.
In an interview with reporters today, Moyes stressed the importance of patience for tomorrow night. The Scottish player proposed that his squad won’t have to go into the game with all guns blazing:
“We traveled to Leverkusen, and before they scored their first goal, it was the 83rd minute. We need to exercise patience and play through to the very conclusion since it can take that long.
On the other hand, it appears that James Ward-Prowse and his manager are not in agreement. The 29-year-old explained to reporters why he and his colleagues require a bold approach:
“We all know Leverkusen are a good team, but personally I think we showed them a bit too much respect in the first leg, and we didn’t quite pack the punch that I think we can. We need to go into Thursday all guns blazing, and we know the first goal is going to be crucial. We’ll have to make sure it’s us who get that goal, and we need to use the occasion and the atmosphere to our advantage. These sorts of nights are what I came to West Ham for, and it’s going to be a really special spectacle. Let’s hope we can create some more amazing memories under the lights.”
With so many big players set to miss tomorrow night’s game, Ward-Prowse will have a big role to play against the Bundesliga side.
It is a concern that the manager and the players might not be on the same page when it comes to tactics and the game-plan for tomorrow night.
Moyes surely has to instil into his West Ham players the need to land some punches on Leverkusen early doors. We have to get them thinking about the threats we pose.
And whilst we don’t need to score inside the first 30 minutes, an early goal for the Hammers would certainly turn the tie on its head.
