West Ham United manager David Moyes has just been completely contradicted by one of his key players ahead of the Bayer Leverkusen clash.
David Moyes faces one of the biggest games of his West Ham career against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League quarter-final second-leg tomorrow night.
The Hammers will have to overturn a two-goal deficit if we are to make it through to the semi-finals, but the odds are heavily stacked against us.
Moyes could be without up to seven players for the game against Xabi Alonso’s side at the London Stadium.
However, we could be boosted by the return of Jarrod Bowen, and if he is fit it would be such a shot in the arm for us.
Ahead of tomorrow’s game though, there is one big concern that I spotted when listening to the manager and one of his players speaking today…
West Ham player completely contradicts David Moyes ahead of Leverkusen
The Hammers boss addressed the media this afternoon, whilst one of his key players spoke to the club’s official website about the upcoming clash with the Bundesliga champions.
Moyes spoke to reporters today and explained how patience will be key tomorrow night. The Scot suggested that there will be no need for his team to take an all guns blazing approach to the match:
“We went to Leverkusen and got to the 83rd minute before they scored their first goal. It might take us that long – we have to be patient, and play until the end.”
However, it seems as though James Ward-Prowse is not on the same page as his manager. The 29-year-old told reporters how a gung-ho approach is exactly what he and his teammates need:
“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.
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