West Ham United manager David Moyes will have to cope without defender Angelo Ogbonna again today as the Irons prepare to face Manchester City.
The Lowdown: West Ham face tough test…
The east Londoners could not have asked for a tougher opening weekend fixture as Premier League champions City travel south to face off against Moyes’ side.
No top-flight team scored more goals or won more games than the Sky Blues last season, with Pep Guardiola retaining their domestic crown in dramatic fashion.
City will be hungry to mount a fierce challenge on all four fronts in 2022/23 and West Ham will need to be at their very best to trouble them, although Moyes and co will also be determined to get off to a flying start.
The Latest: Moyes without Ogbonna…
However, it appears that West Ham have been handed a slight setback before City with Moyes giving an update on Ogbonna.
Despite featuring for the Irons’ under-21s recently, the Italian still isn’t ready to return to the first team and is set to miss the London Stadium clash this afternoon.
Moyes explained to the media (via whufc.com):Â “He had his first 90 minutes last week so he’s doing really well, but he’s obviously not ready yet to be to be considered for the first time at the moment, but he’s coming along nicely and maybe in another three or four weeks he’ll be much closer to that.”
The Verdict: Blow for West Ham…
Not having the 34-year-old back today does come as a blow for West Ham, as they have missed his reliability and leadership for quite a while.
As per Transfermarkt, before his season-ending injury in 2021/22, Ogbonna was a mainstay for the Hammers, starting all 11 of his league matches and attracting plenty of praise.
Where will West Ham finish at the end of 2022/2023?
Top four
Europa League place
Top eight
Mid-table
Speaking last November, Darren Gough branded him ‘outstanding’, a ‘threat on both ends of the pitch’ and a ‘consistent pick’ for Moyes, following on from James Collins also calling Ogbonna ‘phenomenal’.
West Ham supporters will surely be eager to have him back as soon as possible, but it appears that he will miss out today.
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