David Moyes has acknowledged that he faces a challenging decision regarding the defensive lineup for the second leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final against AZ Alkmaar, writes the football.london.
The Hammers will travel to the Netherlands this week to face AZ in Amsterdam on Thursday, carrying a one-goal advantage from their previous encounter, where they secured a 2-1 victory at the London Stadium.
However, Moyes has been presented with a dilemma following his team’s performance against Brentford on Sunday. In that match, a significantly altered West Ham side suffered a 2-0 defeat at the GTech Community Stadium, leaving the manager with some considerations and reflections before finalizing his defensive choices for the crucial second leg.
Having made nine alterations to the lineup that emerged victorious with a 2-1 scoreline against AZ, David Moyes opted for Angelo Ogbonna and Nayef Aguerd as the center-back pairing in West Ham’s defense. Nevertheless, the Hammers were convincingly defeated in their west London clash, with Brentford displaying dominance throughout the first half and establishing a two-goal lead. Despite West Ham’s attempts to stage a comeback after halftime, the outcome remained unfavorable.
In light of these events, Moyes acknowledged that he faces some choices regarding the second leg of the Europa Conference League fixture. Responding to a question about whether he now encounters a selection dilemma concerning who should partner Kurt Zouma in defense on Thursday, the Scottish manager expressed the need for thoughtful decision-making.
Moyes said: “Yes. I agree with you. We need to get people who are going to be hard to play against and defend and be strong. I didn’t think we were tough enough in a lot of the things we did [at Brentford].”