However, two other points of note emerged after the game. Firstly, after a rested game Mark Noble was sensational. By far the most energetic player on the pitch, he simply bossed proceedings. Captain Claret's commitment to the cause has never been in doubt but it is clear that he cannot perform at that level game after game and needs to be carefully managed. The problem for David Moyes is that we have no other energetic midfielder who can reliably perform alongside Declan Rice. Wilshere is too brittle while Carlos Sanchez simply isn't up to the pace of the Premiership. Rumours suggest that we are looking at a variety of options - Franck Kessie, Joe Allen, Nemanja Maksimovic and Stanislav Lobotka (among others) and its clear that we need an additional defensive midfielder to provide genuine rotation capacity in midfield.
The second issue regards attractiveness. While playing for Moyes may not appeal as much as for the much lauded Pellegrini, the Hammers push away from the relegation zone is key to attracting players (e.g. Gabriel Barbosa) who want to push for Europe rather than run the risk of becoming marooned at a relegated club! For that reason, getting results at Sheffield United, Leicester and at home to Everton is key during the January window. With the table very compressed at the moment, a couple of results would push us back towards the top half of the table and Spurs in 6th and Man United in 5th are only 8 and 9 points ahead of us while we have a game in hand on both clubs.
It may be early to start looking upwards, but there is still time to get our season properly back on track.
COYI!!!
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