Durban - West Ham United became the first team to inflict a defeat on mighty Liverpool in all competitions last weekend, downing the Reds 3-2 in a Premier League fixture.
To ordinary football lovers, the result would have been surprising.
The Hammers have been perennial mid-table finishers, while Liverpool are arguably the best team in the world at the moment.
To close observers of the game in England, the result was hardly surprising. Since taking charge of West Ham for a second time, David Moyes has transformed them into one of the most exciting teams to watch, so much so that they are capable of beating any team in the English top flight.
Moyes’ success at the Hammers has been especially impressive and won him fans again. He took over West Ham in December 2019 when the club was facing relegation and when he was somewhat of a laughing stock, having had unsuccessful managerial spells with Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland.
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Many West Ham supporters felt that the appointment of the Scot at the time signalled a lack of desire from the club. After all, Moyes led Sunderland through the 2016/17 season which saw the Black Cats finish last in the Premier League and it was arguably one of that club’s worst ever campaigns.
West Ham being this good simply does not make sense. Moyes has not been blessed with a huge transfer budget to improve his squad and the bulk of players are still the same ones that battled relegation two years ago.
The Hammers finished sixth last season after having challenged for a top four spot for much of the campaign. While so-called mid-table teams often have a good season before becoming ordinary again, Moyes has maintained his side’s strong form. Their goal difference and play are on par with that of a side that can be considered worthy of European football status.
They already have wins over Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur this season. This is no fluke.
Moyes has taken a utility and injury prone player in Michail Antonio and transformed him into an out-andout striker. The fun-loving Antonio has become West Ham’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League.
Declan Rice and Tomáš Souček have become world-class players who could easily walk into the starting team of any club in the Premier League.
It’s still too early to say how the Hammers will finish in the league this season but the fact remains that Moyes has taken a yo-yo club and transformed them into one of the best to watch in the league for neutrals.
Moyes has good player-relation skills, and made a name for himself during a marathon 11-year spell with Everton.
@EshlinV
IOL Sport