Injury expert Ben Dinnery has been speaking on the Premier FPL Injuries YouTube channel about David Moyes’ West Ham team selection decision.
David Moyes has confirmed that both Issa Diop and Kurt Zouma have picked up injuries recently and will be unavailable for selection, although he refused to put a timescale on either of the defenders, likely in the hope that they recover sooner rather than later.
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West Ham are set to welcome Chelsea to the London Stadium this afternoon which will be big for both sides’ European ambitions, however, Moyes will have a selection headache that could impact how his team set up and decide to play.
This is because Dinnery has claimed that Declan Rice could be dropped into centre back and thus taken out of his crucial midfield role.
(10:44) “He did confirm that Kurt Zouma and Issa Diop are both injured, they both have ankle ligament problems, but he refused to give any kind of timelines. Now, local media and press reports suggest that both players are at risk of missing the remainder of the season.
However, David Moyes said he’s not putting a timeframe on it because he hopes that they’re going to be back sooner than initially sort of anticipated, so that remains to be seen.
Declan Rice is a possibility of dropping into that back four otherwise, it could be maybe a back three with Coufal and also Creswell in alongside Craig Dawson.”
TIF Thoughts on Rice going into defence…
Rice does have a history of playing as a centre back as this was where he first made a name for himself with the Hammers, featuring in the heart of defence 20 times during the 2017/18 season, however, it’s clear to see that he is very much needed in West Ham’s engine room racking up the most touches, carries and tackles won, showing his importance all over the pitch.
Moyes could deploy a back three with Cresswell and Coufal alongside Craig Dawson and then utilise Ryan Fredericks and Ben Johnson on the wings, however, that would be a largely untested back five and one that could be targetted, whereas Rice would have the composure, showed by his amount of touches on the ball this season, and experience to play a big role for Moyes.
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