Moyes must drop West Ham’s “poor” dud today who made just 10 passes vs Newcastle

West Ham United has had a strong start to the 2023–24 campaign, and manager David Moyes is inspired after winning the Europa Conference League title last season, the first significant trophy win of his illustrious career.

The club is currently in seventh place in the Premier League table, six points off the top, and has only lost twice in all competitions this season, both times to Liverpool and Manchester City.

For the Hammers, the international break arrived at the wrong time. However, they make up for it today with a match against Aston Villa, who are currently on a roll.

What is the West Ham team news vs Aston Villa?

Moves has had some time to reflect and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead thanks to the break, and it looks like he might only be without a few players for today’s game.

Prior to the game, Moyes told the media that the international players appeared to be doing fine. However, the fact that the game is on Sunday helps us. This morning, we saw two of them for the first time.

“Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell are about to come on. Are they prepared yet? I believe Ben might just be a little bit ahead. I’m not entirely certain yet.

The Scot may opt to start with the same lineup that earned them a draw against Newcastle United in their final match before the break, but he should be wary of deploying Michail Antonio, who struggled against the Magpies.

Should Michail Antonio be dropped against Aston Villa?

The forward has made nine appearances this season and has contributed twice with goals and assists, but at 33, it is clear that his best years are behind him.

Antonio was used as a lone striker against Newcastle, but he struggled and was taken off with 15 minutes remaining. He only had 23 touches and completed ten successful passes during his time on the field, showing that he was unable to participate in the game.

The frontman’s attacking statistics were likewise subpar; when he was on the field, he managed just one successful dribble, zero critical passes, and no shots.

Antonio is currently eighth in the league for key passes per game (0.5), sixth for shots on target per game (0.4), seventh for big chances created (one), and fifth for goals and assists (three) so far this season. This suggests that Antonio is not exactly having the most positive effects across the team.

In fact, he scored 14 goals in 48 games last season, continuing his recent hot streak, but Josh Bunting called his 2022–23 performances “very poor” back in March.

Indeed, Antonio does not rank in the top 70% when compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months in terms of non-penalty goals per 90 (0.23), total shots per 90 (1.62), and touches in the opposition box per 90 (3.48), and this is additional proof that his career is gradually starting to decline.

Given that he will be 34 at the end of the current season, his West Ham career is undoubtedly nearing its conclusion. Since joining the club in 2015, he has scored 77 goals, but Moyes will eventually have to start using other players before Antonio.

Mohammed Kudus, who joined the team this summer, will be a star for West Ham over the next years. Although center-forward isn’t his primary position, there is no doubt that he could easily fill Antonio’s role.

Could Mohammed Kudus start for West Ham United against Aston Villa?

The teenager was one of the most sought-after players over the summer, so everyone was astonished when he signed with West Ham. However, the move has been a great success.

After scoring 18 goals in all competitions for the Dutch team last season, he joined the club for £38 million from Ajax, and Moyes may have made a wise decision in making the acquisition.

Since joining the team, Kudus has made just three starts and has played either on the right flank or in attacking midfield, but he is clearly capable of playing further forward if he so chooses.

The former Ajax superstar has two goals for West Ham so far, and during the past year, he has displayed his huge offensive abilities, which place him highly among his contemporaries.

In fact, Ghanaians have made an impression across the continent. Kudus ranks in the top 2% for total shots per 90 (3.42), the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90 (4.61), and the top 3% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (5.96) when compared to positional peers. This statistic gives a clear idea of how well-suited Kudus would be to playing as a lone forward for Moyes.

Impressing at West Ham will be the first step in the 23-year-old’s journey to the pinnacle of the sport. He has everything in his arsenal to do so.

Although Moyes might not want to make any changes to a club that has developed some strong momentum over the past few weeks, leaving Antonio out of the starting lineup could provide them a huge advantage versus a Villa team that is also on a roll.

Kudus has had a more than respectable start to life in London, but it’s time for him to consistently push his way into the starting lineup and show Moyes that he was worth the astronomical price tag that was paid for him.

Although defeating Villa won’t be simple, West Ham has previously defeated Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion this season, proving they are capable of getting the job done if necessary.

Kudus must be used in place of Antonio today since he could be crucial to securing all three points.