David Moyes and Jarrod Bowen can’t hide their frustrations with one West Ham player in particular as calls grow for Nayef Aguerd to be dropped.
They didn’t name names but you didn’t have to be a football savant to figure out who West Ham boss David Moyes and star man Jarrod Bowen were talking about.
West Ham were more than holding their own during a superb start to Sunday’s clash at Liverpool.
The Hammers saw two fantastic chances go begging before Liverpool won a penalty against the run of play after a laboured leg was dangled by Nayef Aguerd.
The Moroccan – who has struggled for any kind of consistency in performance since signing for West Ham for £30m from Rennes last summer – had kept his place in the starting XI despite criticism from Moyes for his mistake which led to the Hammers conceding the second goal in defeat to Man City last week.
Naff finishing and Nayef defending cost West Ham dear at Anfield
He was also partially at fault for the third by failing to put pressure on Bernardo Silva, showing him inside on his favoured left foot instead of down the line as he teed up Erling Haaland to score.
West Ham deservedly levelled at Liverpool when Bowen scored a superb goal before the break.
But the game got away from West Ham in the second half and Aguerd was at fault for both of Liverpool’s goals as they closed out a 3-1 victory.
First he completely lost Darwin Nunez as a straight chipped ball was played over his head – leaving central defensive partner Kurt Zouma visibly frustrated.
And Aguerd once again missed a header in the middle of the box allowing the ball to find Diogo Jota for the killer third.
While Aguerd has a lovely left foot and seems like a fantastic character, he is erratic in his defending at times and can go from the sublime to the ridiculous in a game.
David Moyes and Jarrod Bowen can’t hide their frustrations with one West Ham player in particular as calls grow for Nayef Aguerd to be dropped
The West Ham defender is often targeted by the opposition – something Bournemouth and Newcastle players have admitted after games against the Hammers.
Aguerd is under serious pressure to keep his place given the excellent performance of Konstantinos Mavropanos on debut in Europe. And many fans feel Angelo Ogbonna should have kept his place after a brilliant display in the win at Brighton.
Both Moyes and Bowen couldn’t hide their frustrations as calls grow for Aguerd to be dropped.
Speaking after the game Moyes did not name Aguerd when voicing his frustration after the game. But given he was at fault for all three goals – he didn’t need to.
“We gave away a really bad second goal which put us under pressure,” Moyes said on the club’s official website.
“We had been under a bit of pressure but we played really well at times in the first half, created chances and scored a really good goal and we were worthy of the draw at half-time.
“The penalty kick was probably the first time we had anything to deal with, and even then it took a bit of a deflection into Salah’s path and we gave away a penalty kick.
“I’m disappointed with all three goals…
“I thought today’s performance had a lot of good stuff, maybe not so much defensively in the second half.”
Carabao Cup line-up will drop big hint over Moyes’ plans for Aguerd
Bowen conceded the forwards might have been more ruthless with their chances.
But the Prague hero was quick to make clear he felt it was West Ham’s defending that cost them a result.
“We just conceded goals and it fell out of our hands a bit, so I’m just disappointed to lose the game…” a deflated Bowen told the club site.
“Coming away to Anfield is never easy and we created good chances and maybe we should have put them away, but we’ve also got to keep the ball out of our net as well to give us the best chance we’ve got right until the end of the game.”
Moyes – who also criticised Aguerd for his rash sending off which could have cost West Ham against Chelsea – is now facing growing calls to drop the 28-year-old for Sheffield United at the weekend.
If Aguerd plays against Lincoln in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night then it is a sure sign that’s what the Scot intends to do.
It’s easy to see why the so-called “big clubs” has never taken a chance on Aguerd. That does not mean he isn’t good enough for West Ham of course. But he must start proving it.
