Cautious Moyes let Alonso off the ropes
Last night at the London Stadium, as West Ham retreated into a defensive low block system while 1-0 ahead and needing another goal, an old fable popped into my head.
The story of the Frog and the Scorpion may not be the first that springs to mind when discussing football; however, last night it felt apt. If you are unaware of the tale, it goes something like this:
A scorpion asks a frog to carry it across a river. The frog hesitates, afraid of being stung, but the scorpion argues that if it did so, they would both drown. Considering this, the frog agrees. But midway across the river, the scorpion does indeed sting the frog, dooming them both.
With his dying breath, the frog asks the scorpion why he effectively killed them both. The scorpion replied, “I can’t help it, it’s in my nature.”
And that really sums up David Moyes for me; it’s in his nature to be cautious. Despite the evidence of the first half against Leverkusen, with Xabi Alonso’s team on the ropes, he pulled Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus into defensive positions, and the game was lost.
It was the same when West Ham were ahead against Aston Villa and at Newcastle. Moyes’ teams get into a lead, sit back, then the inevitable happens, and it’s so avoidable yet frustrating.
David Moyes isn’t going to change, though… it’s in his nature.