Football.London journalist Tom Clark has been left intrigued by comments made by West Ham defender Ben Johnson following the Irons’ victory over Wolves.
The Lowdown West Ham’s recent form
The Hammers walked away with three points on Sunday after they beat Bruno Lage’s Wolves side at the London Stadium. Midfielder Tomas Soucek scored the only goal of the game in the 59th minute, topping off a more positive performance, following a period of poor form.
West Ham have won just twice in their last six games. This has been enough to maintain fifth place, as David Moyes’ side move within two points of fourth-placed Manchester United.
Arsenal sit on the same points tally as the Irons, with one goal the difference in the table. However, they now have three games in hand over the Hammers, dashing the hopes of West Ham’s top-four push.
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The Latest: Clark’s reaction to Johnson’s comments
Right-back Johnson stepped up in Vladimir Coufal’s absence for the Irons’ clash against Wolves and has since offered his verdict on the game.
Johnson was delighted with the result and admitted that it would not have been possible if it weren’t for Moyes’ tactical change, which they had been working on in training. West Ham had specifically designed their press to counter Wolves’ standard 3-4-2-1 formation and game plan.
Football.London journalist Tom Clark weighed in on the comments. Taking to Twitter, he said it was 'interesting insight' and hailed the defender’s performance, claiming that the first half was particularly promising from Johnson, as he was afforded the freedom of the right flank, which he clearly enjoyed.
The Verdict: Promising by Moyes
The West Ham boss has been on the receiving end of criticism in recent weeks, following a number of poor performances in must-win games.
However, Moyes’ decision to change tactics ahead of their Wolves clash may suggest a change in the manager’s ways.
With a number of fantastic displays, including those from Kurt Zouma and Pablo Fornals which earned them 8.2 SofaScore ratings, this shows just how much a tactical change can affect the performances of individuals on the pitch - particularly when the West Ham side has remained relatively unchanged as of late.
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