As we limp towards the end of the season, fans, as fans will do, will want to apportion blame for missed opportunities. Fingers are beginning to be pointed – some at Moyes, some at Sullivan, some at the players.
When we look at the players, generally, scoring goals, hasn’t been a problem, defending them is another matter. I find myself expecting us to concede a goal within the first ten minutes of a game – you just know it’s coming.
Writing this after the Palace thrashing, we have conceded 63 goals in in 34 games – not far off two a game. At the end of last season, we conceded a total of 55 goals, and the season before that, 51.
I would imagine this season it will end up north of 70. Seventy league goals, for a manager like David Moyes, who bases his teams around defence and a low block, is appalling.
After the Palace game, Moyes’ mates in the media continued to roll out the ‘you don’t get that from a David Moyes’ team’. What about losing 6-0 to Arsenal in February, or 5-1 to Liverpool in the League Cup, and 5-0 to Fulham in December, or 4-1 to Villa in October or….you get the idea.
We have been thrashed on several occasions this season, and it doesn’t matter that we have Bowen, Kudus and Paqueta if your back line are shipping three, four, five or even six goals. Why has our defence been so porous this season? Let’s start with the fact that it is an aging back line: Zouma’s 29, Ogbonna is 35, Aguerd’s 28, Emerson’s 29, Cresswell is 34, and Coufal’s 31.
Only Ben Johnson, at 24 is under 25, and he looks to be on his way out of the club. It can be beneficial to have some experience at the back, particularly at centre back, but you need pace as well.
Look at how the pacy Palace line ripped us apart in the first 30 minutes, the defence looked stunned. Our centre backs are generally slow and ponderous, with a turning circle of a John Deere tractor.
Poor Oggy can barely move, let alone run, and every time Zouma breaks into a jog, I am worried his knees will explode. After the lack of pace across the back line, we have individual errors and inconsistency: Aguerd has been particularly guilty of individual errors, but so has Dinos and Zouma.
That said, according to the Premier League website, only three goals have been directly attributed to errors, so there must be something else. The defence is also incredibly inconsistent. Let’s take Coufal, for example, he either seems to play out of his skin, or have a stinker.
It has been incredibly rare that all four defenders have a solid game, hence we only have five clean sheets in the League this season. Injuries have also been a problem at the back – but when you buy players like Zouma, you know they are going to miss games.
And generally, older players are more likely to pick up injuries. It’s easy to see, we need younger, fitter, faster defenders. Not the aged ‘experienced’ players Moyes seems to favour. Perhaps the only defender to come out of the season with any real credit is Emerson, who looks full of energy, has some pace, and appears to want it.
He also can link up well with Paqueta. Interesting that many were not keen on him when he arrived, but he is now probably our best defender. Even considering the above, what about Moyes? He bases his whole game plan around not conceding, and we concede nearly two goals a game in the league.
Does he coach the defence? Do they not follow his instructions? It can’t all be blamed on individual errors. As those who follow my occasional X (Twitter) ramblings will know, I am not the biggest fan of Moyes, and his style of play, and setting up to defend, when the team cannot defend, seems the absolute definition of madness.
What this all points to is that the defence needs a massive rebuild this summer. I would look to move on Oggy, Aguerd, Zouma, Cresswell and possibly Coufal. I would offer Ben Johnson a new contract and look to bring younger players like Scarles and Robinson into the mix.
We know it is rare for a club to rebuild on this scale. Another issue is that it is not just the defence that needs rebuilding – it is the whole squad. According to Transfermarkt, we have the oldest squad in the Premier League at 28.3 years. If Moyes does leave in the summer, he quite frankly, leaves a mess of a squad behind – aging and unbalanced with striking options of a 34-year old Michel Antonio and an underused 31-year old Danny Ings.
When he has spent nigh on half a billion, you can see why some people are frustrated with his choices in the transfer market. What I am hoping for, in the summer, is a young coach, who will work well with Steidten, and for them to be left to it by Sullivan, with no sign of ropey agents being involved, or of Sullivan’s gifts.
We are going to need to spend heavily, using the profits from the European campaign. Even if we have, say £200 million to spend, we will need to be savvy. Possibly a big signing or two, maybe a Dominic Solanke, but we will need to get in some free transfers, and some unknowns too. Steidten has his work cut out.
We also need a coach who can do just that – coach, improve the players we retain and develop the youth. The situation Moyes has been in, basically playing for a new contract, has meant he was only ever going to focus on the current season, not the future.
The next man in the hot seat needs to be given time, money, and a long-term strategy – none of which are easy with Mr Sullivan watching over your shoulder, offering ‘helpful’ hints and direction. The summer is going to be very interesting, and incredibly important to the future of our club, we can’t afford to get it wrong.
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