David Moyes will not want his farewell to West Ham and perhaps even the Premier League to be an afterthought.
He will want to go out with a bang. The problem with that is that Manchester City know the title is in their hands and when they get into this position, a feeling of inevitability can follow. West Ham will need to play a perfect game if they are to do Arsenal a huge favour.
Moyes led this club to their first trophy in 43 years when Lucas Paqueta played a pass in behind Fiorentina’s high line for Jarrod Bowen to score the winner in the Europa Conference League final.
That is bound to be one way West Ham try to upset City, by sitting deep in a compact shape and springing forward on the counter-attack.
The creativity of players such as Bowen, Paqueta, Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus could be much more useful if possession was being won closer to the opposition’s box, but that is a consideration for the next boss.
David Moyes will be looking to end his West Ham career with a bang by beating Man City
City, however, know the title is in their hands and they can take games away from teams
Pep Guardiola’s side will have to break down a defensive wall but have the talent to do that
On Sunday, Moyes is likely to ask his players to pull together and construct a defensive wall to stop City. That will require a willingness to work from all of the group and Moyes will hope they give him everything.
After managing their lowest possession count of the season (47 per cent) in Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Tottenham, City know this type of opponent will allow them to dominate the ball.
It all depends on whether Pep Guardiola’s assembly of talented attackers can find a way through, and I’d be lying if I said I hope they do!
