West Ham United’s dreadful performance against Burnley saw the entire team struggle, but defender Nayef Aguerd had a particularly difficult afternoon, culminating in a public dressing down from manager David Moyes.
The Hammers’ problems started early at Turf Moor. West Ham’s dismal first-half performance saw them drop two goals to a struggling Burnley side, creating serious worries about the team’s overall form and Moyes’ tactics.
While the second half provided some hope with an overall improvement in play, Aguerd remained a weak link in West Ham’s defensive.
Weak Tackling: Aguerd’s badly executed challenge on David Fofana allowed the Burnley forward to unleash a thunderous long-range shot that reached the net.
Misplaced Long Balls: Despite explicit instructions, Aguerd often chose long passes that rarely hit their goal, stifling West Ham’s attacking efforts.
Defensive Weakness: He was often exposed by Burnley’s attackers, regularly losing duels and allowing them to create chances.
Lax Passing: Moyes’ turning moment came when Aguerd’s slow and inaccurate ball to teammate Edson Alvarez almost resulted in another Burnley goal.
Cameras caught an irate Moyes delivering a public tongue-lashing to Aguerd. The manager’s rage was evident as he “read the riot act” to the defender, emphasising the key error and the need of concentration at such a critical point in the match.
This was not the first time Moyes has criticised Aguerd. The manager has repeatedly reminded the Moroccan defender about the need to improve his performance. However, despite being given another chance, Aguerd failed to meet expectations.
While Aguerd has good footwork and can make the rare brilliant long pass, his overall contributions haven’t justified his £30 million price tag.
More worrying are Aguerd’s shortcomings in strength, reaction time, and decision-making, which are repeatedly exposed in the Premier League’s fast-paced atmosphere. This raises the question of whether his approach is better suited to a slower, more tactical competition, such as La Liga or Serie A.
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