West Ham skipper Declan Rice has questioned David Moyes’ tactics after the Hammers’ 2-0 defeat against Tottenham on Sunday evening.
Spurs were comfortable winners in the London derby courtesy of goals from Emerson Royal and Son Heung-min to leave West Ham in the relegation zone – and heap even more pressure on Moyes.
The former Everton manager’s role has been scrutinised in recent weeks after a number of underwhelming results.
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And now Rice, who has been linked with a move away from the club in the summer, has appeared to hit out at the tactics which West Ham deployed at the weekend.
West Ham had just six shots in total throughout the game and struggled to lay a glove on their London rivals. And speaking after the match, Rice said Antonio and Jarrod Bowen were “a bit isolated” due to their 5-3-2 formation.
He said: “When you play with five at the back and the three, like we set up today, maybe our strikers felt a bit isolated when we got the ball up to them — they didn’t really have enough around them, not enough support.”
Meanwhile, Rice continues to be linked with a summer move to clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.
It remains to be seen whether or not the England midfielder will remain at his London club beyond the summer.
It has previously been claimed that Rice has rejected substantial contract offers, but talks over hus long-term future are likely to be shelved in the short term as the club look to stave off relegation.
The Hammers slipped into the relegation zone before the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Bournemouth and Everton both won on Saturday.
The Hammers boss Moyes admitted: “It’s been a problem all season, we haven’t been able to create. The players have been challenged now, let’s see who’s up for the fight. I will be looking to see the players and the colour of their eyes this week. You can imagine what the colour of mine will be.”
