David Moyes isn't please with his side's sudden struggles at defending set pieces, after a case of deja vu for Everton at the London Stadium in their defeat to West Ham
David Moyes was left unhappy after Everton's defeat at former club West Ham
David Moyes was left unhappy after Everton's defeat at former club West Ham
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David Moyes conceded he was “very concerned” about Everton’s sudden struggles at defending set-pieces.
Speaking after the 2-1 defeat at West Ham United, the Blues boss acknowledged that Tomas Soucek’s opening goal was similar to Virgil van Dijk’s winner in the Merseyside derby last weekend, with both players heading in from corners.
Reflecting on the manner of the goals, Moyes said: “I think we probably had the third best defensive record for set-pieces before we went into today's game.
“But no, the two goals were too similar for my liking.”
In both cases Moyes was deprived of the services of Beto and Jarrad Branthwaite.
The striker and centre-back are key for set-pieces at both ends of the pitch but neither were available in stoppage time against Liverpool or at the London Stadium after they picked up injuries in the closing stages of the Merseyside derby.
Asked whether their loss was significant in the emergence of the set-piece problem, Moyes said: “I think what it tells you is that if you want to try and be successful in the Premier League you need physical stature in places and sometimes you're having to play players because of that and you're requiring that to be able to accommodate not conceding goals, maybe helping you score goals.
“Let's be fair, today Tomas Soucek might not be the first pick as a technical football player, but because he can score and because he can head it out of the other box it becomes really important in the team's setup.
"That's why I try to get the balance right between that type of player and smaller, maybe more technical players. We are just in a bit of a difficult time in the last two games with it.”
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