Back-to-back 2-0 defeats in West Ham United’s return to Premier League action has placed even more pressure on David Moyes ahead of the end of season run in.
The Scottish boss has a real fight on his hands to get the Hammers out of the relegation dogfight they currently find themselves in.
With the games coming thick and fast, Moyes’ squad will be stretched, and the former Sunderland manager will need to rotate his options to ensure his squad stays fresh.
He will also need to make full use of the new five substitutes rule in Premier League, but his substitutions record in his second spell at the London Stadium has been mixed.
Two is plenty?
In Moyes’ 12 Premier League games in charge following his return in the New Years’ Day 4-0 win over Bournemouth, he has opted for an average of two substitutions per game.
On the Hammers’ return to action, Moyes has also declined to increase his number of changes up to five per game, with three changes in the home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and just two late swaps in the 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
Too little, too late
Moyes has developed a well-earned reputation as a cautious operator, opting to make the bulk of his changes in the second half of games.
Of the 28 Premier League substitutions made by Moyes in 2020, only one has come in the first half, with the injured Lukasz Fabianksi subbed off after 15 minutes in the 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United on January 10.
This cautiousness has cost the Hammers, with 22 of those changes coming after the 65-minute mark. In five of West Ham’s 12 Premier League games under Moyes this season they have been in a losing position heading into the final quarter of a game.
West Ham have picked up zero points from losing positions in the closing stages of these games, with late winning positions against Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool being surrendered, with just one point saved.
This demonstrates a lack of effectiveness of the substitutions being made, alongside many of the changes being too late to really affect the final result.
Bench drawing blanks
Pablo Fornals has been Moyes’ most used substitute in 2020, with 125 minutes of Premier League action spreading across five cameo appearances.
The Spaniard is the only sub to score for Moyes this season, with a fine strike at Liverpool on February 24, alongside an FA Cup substitute goal in the 2-0 third round win at Gillingham.
Those numbers show a damning picture of the effectiveness of Moyes’ in-game changes, with regular substitutes Robert Snodgrgass, Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson all failing to find the net off the bench in 2020.
Hope for the run in?
Having a player that can come on and score, or create, a vital goal is essential for any side battling against relegation.
However, a wildcard option off the bench looks to be unlikely for Moyes, due to a lack of consistent output from his substitutes.
It is more likely the former Everton boss brings substitutes into the starting line-up, rather than keeping an ace up his sleeve for the closing stages of matches.
With Fornals starting both of West Ham’s games in their return to action, the ‘new’ Fornals is likely to be Lanzini, with the Italian subbed on with limited impact against Wolves and Tottenham.
