West Ham United host Everton on Saturday in the Premier League at the London Stadium in a huge game at the bottom of the table.
The Hammers (18th) go into the game against the Toffees (19th) on a miserable run of form in England’s top-flight, having picked up just one point from a possible 21 in their last seven Premier League matches.
Manager David Moyes is under a lot of pressure at present, with his future currently being assessed on a game-by-game basis, having dropped into the relegation zone for the first time in three-and-a-half months six days ago following their 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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For the meeting with the Toffees, Hammers boss Moyes should make three changes to his side as they aim to pick up their first Premier League win since beating Bournemouth at the end of October.
Here is the side that should start against Frank Lampard’s Everton in the hope of moving out of the bottom three.
Change 1: Danny Ings debut
Going into the game, West Ham are closecompleting the £12million signing of striker Danny Ings from Aston Villa.
West Ham’s strikers, Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio have both struggled for consistency in the league this season, netting five goals between them in the Premier League and only once in the Hammers’ last ten league games.
Ings, despite playing fewer minutes than both, has six goals in the league himself this term, having only started in eight of his 18 Premier League appearances this season.
Against Everton, he also has a very good career record, scoring seven times and setting up three more in 15 career appearances in action against them, the most he has ever scored against the same team in his career.
Earlier this season, Ings scored against Everton for Villa, having also put four past them in a Southampton shirt and further strikes for both Liverpool and Everton.
With Antonio struggling and criticising the club’s playing style recently amid links with an exit, and rumours circulating that Scamacca is injured, it is a perfect chance to get Ings into the side.
Chance conversion has been West Ham’s biggest issue on the pitch this season, so starting Ings, if signed in time, should be the call Moyes makes.
Change 2: Midfield reshuffle
In midfield, Said Benrahma has found himself only used as a substitute in the Hammers’ three matches in 2023.
As the only player outside the ‘big six’ to average two or more chances created per 90 minutes (not including penalties) this season in the Premier League, as well as being the club’s joint-top scorer in the league, he has to get a recall, but not in a like-for-like move in place of Pablo Fornals.
The Algerian winger should replace Tomas Soucek in the side, with Fornals moving to a central attacking midfield role so that he can put his pressing qualities to good use while enabling Benrahma to add creativity from the left.
So far this year, Soucek has been played as a makeshift No.10 but to little effect, with West Ham actually improving in the FA Cup win over Brentford after Benrahma replaced him in the second half.
Change 3: Kurt Zouma’s return
The final change Moyes should make would see centre-back Kurt Zouma return to the side, having undergone knee surgery at the end of November.
Zouma has missed West Ham’s five matches in all competitions since the surgery, with the defence notably worsening in his absence.
Moyes, if he starts Zouma, would get his season-long wish for the first time that would see Zouma partner Moroccan summer signing Nayef Aguerd at centre-back.
Aguerd missed virtually all of the season before the 2022 World Cup due to an ankle injury, making his debut in place of Zouma in the 2-0 defeat to Leicester in November.
Now, Moyes has the chance to play the centre-back partnership he has wanted all campaign, a move that would see Angelo Ogbonna drop to the bench.
Jonty Colman’s preferred team to face Everton: Lukasz Fabianski; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Aaron Cresswell; Lucas Paqueta, Declan Rice; Jarrod Bowen, Pablo Fornals, Said Benrahma; Danny Ings
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