David Moyes urged to give two summer signings ‘time to grow’ as West Ham partnership begins to flourish
A pundit has told David Moyes to continue using Gianluca Scamacca and Maxwel Cornet in attack after the pair helped West Ham beat Silkeborg in the Europa Conference League.
The Irons made it two wins from two in the group stage by winning 3-2 in Denmark on Thursday night. As the scoreline suggests, it wasn’t an easy victory for the Premier League outfit.
The travelling West Ham fans were left shocked when Silkeborg took a surprise lead early on.
It only lasted eight minutes though as Cornet won a penalty soon afterwards, and Manuel Lanzini stepped up to convert.
In the 25th minute, Cornet pounced on a bad pass and gave the ball to Scamacca. The Italian then fired into the roof of the net, giving the Silkeborg goalkeeper no chance.
Craig Dawson headed home an Aaron Cresswell corner shortly before half time to give Moyes’ side a 3-1 lead.
They couldn’t find the net in the second half though and also gave Silkeborg several chances to get back into the game.
Soren Tengstedt made it 3-2 with 15 minutes to go, setting up a nervy finish for the West Ham faithful.
They ultimately held on to take the spoils back to east London, although the performance didn’t exactly please Moyes.
David Moyes bemoans West Ham selfishness
In a post-match interview, he said: “There were bits and pieces I liked and bits and pieces I didn’t.
“Their style is very good. We were aware of that. We tried our best to stop it and we did for long periods. There were other parts where they played really well.
“At 3-1 it should have been comfortable. We had chances to make it four or five. They were always going to make it nervy [when they scored].
“We started making poor decisions. We had chances to slip each other in for goals which I’m annoyed about. It’s important to try to make goals.
“But we did the job and got it done. We’ve come away from home and won. Wining in Europe comfortably isn’t easy.”
Moyes also said he was ‘disappointed’ with Scamacca towards the start of the match, though the summer arrival ‘grew into the game’.
Whelan urges manager to stick with Cornet and Scamacca
Former attacker Noel Whelan thinks Moyes needs to stick with the partnership of Cornet and Scamacca, as this will result in success for West Ham.
During an interview with Football Insider, Whelan said: “When I watched them last night they looked very sharp.
“It’s a good partnership. Cornet looked very lively, and Scamacca is amazing inside the box – he scored a great goal and has a real stature about him.
“Moyes now has to give this partnership time to grow. They’ve got to have the time to learn each other’s games.
“At times on Thursday, they looked electric together. I don’t think chopping and changing will really help West Ham. They’ve got to persist with that set-up.”
Whelan certainly raises a good point. Continuing to play Scamacca and Cornet should help their confidence. It will also help the pair to get used to each other’s style.
However, David Moyes must also consider Michail Antonio when selecting his forwards. The 32-year-old has proven time and time again that he can find the net in Premier League and European matches.
Meanwhile, significant figures behind the scenes at Chelsea still intend to sign West Ham and England ace Declan Rice “when the time arrives”, according to one transfer source.
