Moyes has spoken out about the tackle and Soucek’s fatigue

West Ham are within striking distance of the Top 4 with a win over Crystal Palace, but the atmosphere in their camp is not so positive. The narrow squad is running out of strength, something that even Hammers head coach David Moyes is aware of.

West Ham are returning to their October and November form after a miserable December. After the win at Watford (4: 1), they managed to take three points from Crystal Palace (3: 2). The Hammers led by three goals at half-time, but then ran out of steam.

Crystal Palace were basically losing the whole game, but on the other hand they were better for the whole ninety minutes. They confirmed that they are definitely one of the better sides the Premier League has to offer this season and they definitely deserved at least a point from the London derby.

“It was terribly difficult. But it wasn’t just the end of the game, it was similar from the first minute actually,” Moyes said.

While last year West Ham could rely on a solid defence, this year they often have to outshoot their opponents. Soucek and co. have already scored twenty-seven times, with only Leicester worse off in the top half of the table.

But even up front, it’s a struggle at times. Michail Antonio himself has self-critically admitted that he is struggling, the thorn in Moyes’ side is Manuel Lanzini, who has played himself into great comfort. At least one offensive reinforcement is expected in the winter transfer window.

“I’m very worried about that. We have to score too many goals to win games. We are not that good at the back this season, which is something that catches up with you if you are not careful enough,” continued the West Ham coach.

The Hammers are built on a quality central pairing. Declan Rice and Soucek are among the best in the Isles, if not the best. But they have no competition, or rather, no one to replace them, lest it affect the performance of the whole team.

The team’s icon Mark Noble is no longer speeding and treading water in the two-man midfield, Alex King hasn’t been given a proper chance yet. The demanding schedule has affected Soucek in particular, whose performances were mediocre in the autumn and incomparable to last season.

“Both of them are starting to show that they have played an awful lot of games. We had a tough schedule,” Moyes added.

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