Maybe David Moyes hasn’t lost it after all.
Though his hiring may not have excited the West Ham faithful, the Scot has managed to drag the club out of the relegation zone during his seven games in charge, and if Saturday’s 3-0 defeat of Stoke City is anything to go by things could get even better.
That’s because the Hammers made easy work of their fellow bottom dwellers on Saturday, leapfrogging them into 15th place in the process. Mark Noble’s opener may have come via a bad penalty call — Manuel Lanzini will almost certainly get a retroactive ban for his dive — but the team was utterly dominant from that point on. Stoke would try to get something going, find no way through the West Ham backline, then get beaten on the counter-attack repeatedly over the course of the game’s final 70 minutes. Even when it looked like Stoke might finally muster something resembling a comeback, former Potter Marko Arnautović and Diafra Sakho added goals to put the game out of reach.
Though it wasn’t Moyes first win in charge of the team — or biggest, since the first came against third-place Chelsea — it might have been the best example of what he expects from his players each week. Upon replacing Slaven Bilić in early November, Moyes has tried to simplify things, focusing on what he, as a manager, knows best — defense. In addition to benching previous starting keeper Joe Hart, he’s reorganized the backline and instilled a sense of discipline that was sorely lacking under his predecessor. Even the team’s offense comes from the back, with the manager relying on his rather talented, if frustratingly inconsistent, attackers to exploit holes in the other team’s defensive positioning and catch them on the counter. It’s may not be the most exciting way to play, but it showed some promise in three straight games against members of the top six (from which they earned a surprising four points), and against a struggling Stoke side in desperate need of a win, it worked to perfection.
Moyes’ stint in charge of Manchester United after replacing the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 didn’t even last a year, the manager getting the boot after his brand of uninspiring soccer saw the then-defending champion fall out of the Champions League places. That embarrassment out of the way, the Scott headed to Spain and Real Sociedad, an experiment that started out well but quickly went to pieces, with reports he never bothered to learn the language or move out of his hotel. From there he returned to the Premier League, only to lead Sunderland to relegation thanks to one of the worst campaigns in recent memory.
Having failed spectacularly three times in a row, it was easy to think Moyes best days might be behind him. If anything, his decision to take over for Bilić looked as if it might be his last chance to manage a team in the top level of English soccer. But it’s looking as if Moyes, though he’s prone to forlorn pronouncements, isn’t ready to give up just yet. Sure, West Ham aren’t going thrill many people this season, but right now the only thing that matters is survival. Next year Moyes can worry about aesthetics. — B.H.
Goal of the Week
Raheem Sterling, Manchester City 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester City continued its torrid run of form Saturday, dismantling Tottenham, 4-1, for its 16th straight win against Premier League opponents. They excelled with relative ease, on the shoulders once again of Kevin De Bruyne, whose performance left manager Pep Guardiola speechless after the match. De Bruyne was directly involved in two of City’s goals while also drawing a penalty kick that Gabriel Jesus blasted off the post. He’s also responsible for their beautiful team goal (1:50 mark) which he was started when he dispossessed and outmuscled Spurs midfielder Mousa Dembele to allow City rush upfield before Raheem Sterling notched his first of two goals of the game. — K.S.
Dirty Play of the Week
Dele Alli, Manchester City 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Sticking with the Manchester City and Tottenham clash, Spurs once again showed they prefer their recklessness to overshadow their play in big matches. Midfielder Dele Alli had three questionable tackles showing studs on all occasions. His early takedowns of Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho should have been enough but somehow were deemed cautions. He somehow avoided red for his most malicious when he lunged at De Bruyne’s right ankle. However, De Bruyne got his revenge a minute later when he scored a left-footed shot past Hugo Lloris’ hands. — K.S.
