Sports Evolve
Despite the risk of relegation, David Moyes still has the support of the West Ham leadership.
The team is currently only above the relegation zone on goal difference after a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday.
However, according to the PA news agency, the club has no interest in replacing Moyes as manager, and owner David Sullivan is standing by him, as he has done on two previous occasions when the team was facing relegation.
Moyes, who led West Ham to sixth and seventh place finishes in the past two seasons and the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, is confident that the team can recover and move away from danger.
“I hope so, that’s the plan,” said the former Everton boss.
“My plan when I came here was to make sure we got a team in the top half of the league regularly.
“Sixth or seventh was great, a fantastic achievement I think in the two years. My plan was not to come back and be taking a team just outside of the bottom three or in the bottom three.
“The plan was to be much higher, but I’ve been here before at another club where you sometimes have good seasons and sometimes have a bad one.
“We’re looking at the Premier League this year and who would’ve said Arsenal would be top of the league? If you look at how well Brentford are doing and Brighton and Fulham, maybe a lot of people wouldn’t have said that either, so it can change.
“The Premier League has got a league now where you just never know what’s going to happen. If things don’t go quite right, a few injuries or you don’t start so well, you can be chasing it.
“I’m hoping that all the experience I’ve got can help in some way but ultimately, I need the players to be playing really well. I think we’ve got good players and I think the players can play better than they are showing.”
West Ham’s recent form at home has been positive, earning eight points from their last four matches.
However, their performances away from home continue to be a concern, particularly following their heavy 4-0 loss to Brighton in their most recent away game.
Despite this, the team managed to secure a point in their recent match against Aston Villa, with Said Benrahma converting a penalty after a foul on Lucas Paqueta by Leon Bailey.
West Ham’s upcoming match is a Europa Conference League last-16 tie against AEK Larnaca, taking place on Thursday at 8pm.
In the meantime, Villa’s Ollie Watkins has scored in his last four away matches, becoming the first Villa player since Dwight Yorke in 1998 to achieve this feat.
“He’s scoring because he’s a good striker and we have to help him by trying to get him in the box,” said manager Unai Emery.
“Sometimes I’m being demanding with him. I try to improve him in the small spaces to move better and to be in the box, to be more efficient.
“His movement and his comfort with the ball, that is his improvement. He’s demanding and critical of himself. He’s listening.”
West Ham 19y/o called up to senior national team for first time
The West Ham under-21s goalkeeper, Krisztián Hegyi, has received his first-ever call-up to the Hungary senior international squad, according to the club’s website.
Although the 19-year-old had previously played for his country’s under-21s in a match against Denmark in November, he will now join the senior squad later this month.
Hungary is scheduled to play Estonia in a friendly on March 23rd, followed by a Euro 2024 qualifier against Bulgaria four days later, both taking place at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna Park.
Hegyi is one of three goalkeepers selected for the squad, along with Dénes Dibusz from Ferencvárosi TC and Patrik Demjén from Zalaegerszegi TE, under the leadership of Marco Rossi.
“Everyone at West Ham United congratulates Krisztián on his first senior international call-up,” a statement from the Hammers read.
Krisztián Hegyi, who was born in Budapest, currently serves as captain of the West Ham under-21s team.
Despite this, he has been included in many recent first-team matchday squads, particularly for the Europa Conference League, due to Lukasz Fabianski’s eye injury.
Alphonse Areola is currently the starting goalkeeper for the team. West Ham has required a large squad this season to compete in both the Premier League and Europe, with more success achieved in the latter.
While Hegyi may not have many opportunities to play for Hungary later this month, it is still a proud moment for the young goalkeeper, who has represented his country since the under-16 level.
Hungary has been drawn into Group G, which includes Serbia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Montenegro, and will aim to have a strong Euro 2024 qualifying campaign following a successful 2022/23 Nations League run, where they finished second in a challenging group that included Italy, Germany, and England.
