Champions League chasers West Ham United could move as high as fifth place in the Premier League with a win against Everton today.
The Hammers’ form has been rocky of late, though, with just two wins in their last six games in all competitions bound to be a concern for David Moyes.
The 58-year-old’s side will need to show ruthlessness against his former employers, with the Toffees’ precarious position in the table bound to give the home team a boost of adrenaline.
On the chalkboard
As Moyes sets his team up for the all-important clash against Everton, we hope he is considering on-loan Paris Saint-Germain and former Real Madrid goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. The £138k-p/w Frenchman, who is blessed with “incredible reactions”, has performed superbly in West Ham’s cup commitments this season.
Areola has endured a somewhat bit-part career but, at 29 years of age and with 280 club appearances to his name, has all the experience and attributes needed to replace the ageing 36-year-old Lukasz Fabianski to become the Irons’ number one.
Although his appearances have been limited at the London Stadium, the Frenchman has demonstrated his ability as a natural shot stopper, with his PSx-GA total (post shot expected goals minus goals allowed) placing him within the 92nd percentile among ‘keepers in Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBRef.
When he has been afforded consistent minutes, the on-loan ‘keeper has made the Europa League his own, conjuring an outstanding 82.6% save percentage which has seen him keep four clean sheets in seven appearances as West Ham go marching on towards the latter stages of the competition.
In contrast, current domestic number one Fabianski boasts a save percentage of 69.7%; whilst still a solid metric, it is not a patch on Areola’s return.
As we approach the business end of the season in both competitions, Moyes will need a goalkeeper whom he can trust with his life, and at 36, Fabianski cannot stick around as the Hammers’ first-choice netminder for much longer.
Today’s crucial clash against Everton could well be the best opportunity for Moyes to instil confidence and match sharpness into Areola, who will also be expected to perform in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Lyon on Thursday night.
With that match coming up in four days’ time, so it should be in Moyes’ best interests to give Areola a run-out against the Toffees today and have the Frenchman sharp, as he will be needed to offer a reliable last line of defence, just as he has done whenever trusted this season.
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