Heading into the St. Patrick Day clash versus Aston Villa, reports of the demise of West Ham United manager David Moyes have been greatly exaggerated. With the 5-0 rout of SC Freiburg, completed only hours ago, Moyes led the turnaround of the Hammers’ Europa League tie.
He now has his club in the last 8 of a competition for the third straight year.
West Ham United vs Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. March 17, 2024, 3pm London Stadium, UK
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Preview Content: Team News West Ham Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Aston Villa 40% Draw 26% West Ham 34%
.PL Position, Form Guide: Aston Villa 4th, 55 pts, LWWWL West Ham, 7th, 43 pts DWWLL
And with West Ham sitting 7th in the Premier League table right now, they’re on pace to be back in continental competition next season. So while there will always be ups and downs with Moyes, and calls for the Scotsman’s sacking to ebb and flow, now is a crest.
At least for the time being.
Looking ahead to the weekend league fixture, maybe striker Danny Ings will get a first assignment finally? In place of Michail Antonio, with Jarrod Bowen shifting back a bit in the attack?
Moyes was asked about Ings’ capabilities.
“I think [Ings] came into a game that suited him on Sunday,” he said.
“Everyone knows he’s a good finisher, and there were chances in and around the box that he took.
“That’s his first goal for a while, and we were all happy for him.”
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction vs Aston Villa
Lukasz Fabianski; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Aaron Cresswell; Tomas Soucek, James Ward-Prowse; Muhammad Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta; Danny Ings
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.