Moyes insists Hammers need to beat City
David Moyes has dismissed suggestions West Ham have nothing to lose when they face unbeaten Premier League leaders Manchester City today.
The struggling Hammers travel to the Etihad Stadium searching for a first victory in eight league games, with few expecting them to return to east London having avoided defeat.
Moyes has so far failed to spark an upturn in results since replacing Slaven Bilic as United manager in early November, picking up just one point from three games.
Despite the odds being firmly stacked against his 19th- placed side ahead of today’s clash, the Scot insists they cannot treat the game as a free hit as they attempt to climb away from relegation danger.
“I don’t want to say that there’s no expectation, there is an expectation,” Moyes said of the City match.
“You have to try and win all the games.
“I see us being in a worse position than Manchester City.
“Manchester City might be saying they have to win to stay at the top, but my position is as big as theirs in as much as we need to get away from the wrong end of the table.”
While the Hammers have not won in the league since the end of September, City have been in superb form and go into the game five points clear of rivals Manchester United.
City beat the Hammers three times last season, scoring 12 goals in the process, so the Londoners look even more up against it, given their recent record and the leader’s recent form.
Pep Guardiola’s men have made a habit of scoring late goals this season, with Raheem Sterling striking in the closing stages to beat Huddersfield last weekend and then firing home in injury time to defeat Southampton on Wednesday.
Moyes, who suffered a late loss at City while in charge of Sunderland last season, feels measures can be taken to prevent last- gasp goals being conceded.
“I think there are ways you can attempt to try it, maybe substitutions can make a difference, maybe altering things,” he said.
“But I think that Manchester City are relentless, that’s why you have to admire them, they keep going and they don’t change really.
“It’s not as if they alter what they do, they just try to keep the pressure on even more and eventually it can tell.
“It only needs one slight lapse, one thing to go. Maybe sometimes when you get to 90 minutes you think you’ve got the job done and ultimately it’s not done until the final whistle.”