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Four ways David Moyes has rejected the 'football dinosaur' tag with contemporary tactics

David Moyes has been revitalised at West Ham
David Moyes has been revitalised at West Ham

2017/18 feels like the year in which the tension between two disparate sets of football fans has finally bubbled over. The battle between the hipsters and the proper football men, played out on social media with each new managerial appointment, mention of xG statistics, and VAR controversy, has cranked up a notch in the last six months.

Before Christmas it looked like the geeky young pundits were winning. Marco Silva’s tactically astute Watford were making Paul Merson’s rant look more foolish by the week while mediocre old British managers were handed Premier League jobs without much thought for younger progressive coaches. But the tide has started to turn – thanks entirely to the work of David Moyes.

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Moyes’s West Ham United have shown great tactical intelligence during his two months at the helm, defying expectations that the Scotsman was unfit for the role by implementing contemporary ideas at the London Stadium. Many people, including this writer, wildly misjudged Moyes’s managerial skills; he deserves enormous credit for the job he has done in such a short space of time.

Here are four ways in which Moyes has defied the “dinosaur” label this season:

1) By using a three at the back, Moyes has shown he understands the evolving patterns of modern football

West Ham earned one point from Moyes’s first three games in charge in which he used a typically Moyesian 4-2-3-1 formation – conforming, initially, to our expectations he would not be able to grasp the vast tactical changes that have occurred in the last five years of the Premier League.

But starting with the 2-1 defeat away to Manchester City, Moyes began playing with three at the back, something he has very rarely trialled in his managerial career. One of the most impressive aspects of this switch was West Ham’s focus on ensuring his attackers dominate the number ten space (an increasingly pivotal area in modern football) and the growing influence of their wing-backs Pablo Zabaleta and Arthur Masuaku.

As high-pressing football takes over in England the pitch has been sucked inwards, making central midfield a vital battleground but leaving considerably more space on the flanks – provided teams arrive late into this area. By giving and Masuaku licence to roam forward (most notably against Stoke City, Newcastle United, and Huddersfield Town) Moyes has proven himself to be an excellent student of the game.

2) Moyes’s hybrid 3-4-2-1 / 4-3-3 shows the complexity of his tactical coaching

The most tactically interesting element of West Ham’s revival has been Aaron Cresswell’s role in the side. Playing as the left-sided centre-back in a back three, Moyes is essentially fielding two left-backs, which allows his team to shift seamlessly between formations.

Injuries permitting, Masuaku and Cresswell have featured together in every league game since Moyes moved to a back three. When Masuaku pours forward – something he is very keen to do –Zabaleta drops back and Cresswell shifts to his left, creating a 4-3-3 formation (one of the two forwards, usually Jordan Ayew, will drift to the right to balance things out).


It is far from unique to shift between systems, but the speed with which West Ham have taken on their manager’s instructions is a big indication of the hard work done on the training ground. Moyes has always been praised for his attention to detail – particularly in the scouting department – and it would appear that his desire and ability to adapt have not weakened with age.

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3) Moyes has got the best out of Arnautovic by giving him a free role

Marko Arnautovic’s transformation has been astonishing. The Austria international seemed largely uninterested under Slaven Bilic – perhaps because he was asked to do so much defensive work – but he looks a new man now Moyes has freed him from responsibility.

Using a back three and wing-backs means Arnautovic does not have to drop back into a traditional winger position when West Ham are defending, which greatly improves the morale of such a swaggering flair player. Given that Moyes’s instinct is to be a strict disciplinarian, his decision to given Aranutovic a free role (and allow him to walk around up front when the Hammers are on the back foot) is testament to some excellent man-management skills.

Arnautovic has actually started as the main striker in five of the last seven league matches, culminating most impressively in the 4-1 win at Huddersfield Town last weekend. The way in which he linked up with Manuel Lanzini mimicked the unexpected striker partnership between Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend under Roy Hodgson. The West Ham pair constantly stayed close to one another to ensure they could win the second balls when quick counter-attacks began.

4) The sudden diligence seen from Kouyate, Obiang, and Noble shows Moyes is highly focused

Cheikhou Kouyate, Pedro Obiang, and Mark Noble have all shown signs of being intelligent central midfield players in their West Ham careers but all three looked completely lost under the tutelage of Slaven Bilic. They clearly needed in-depth tactical coaching, and in Moyes they have found the right man to simplify their respective roles and ensure they can once again command a midfield.

Obiang and Kouyate almost immediately forged a partnership under Moyes before the latter got injured, with Noble replacing him so adequately that West Ham played all three at Huddersfield. Their tackling and intercepting statistics have greatly improved in that time (West Ham’s midfield duo have averaged 5.1 tackles and 3.6 interceptions across the last eight league games, up from 3.6 tackles and 1.9 interceptions), as has the overall solidity of the side’s formation.

Too often under Bilic a soft centre was the reason for their downfall, but this is no longer the case – despite the fact Moyes usually field two central midfielders while Bilic used three. It is just one of a number of ways in which Moyes’s tactical knowledge has proved to be better than his predecessor – and very well suited to modern Premier League football.