West Ham face Manchester City on Wednesday evening in a crucial clash for the top and bottom of the Premier League table.
The Hammers have lost their last two games and are dangerously flirting with the relegation zone, from which they are just four points clear.
Conversely, Pep Guardiola’s men are in scintillating form, having won 13 of their last 14 games in all competitions.
West Ham tackle the unenviable task of trying to steal points away from at home at a side relentlessly chasing the treble.
The assignment has been further complicated by the fact that the Irons arrive in Manchester having conceded six goals in their last two outings and having been wildly unpredictable for the whole year.
If David Moyes wants to stand the best chance of getting any points from the Etihad then he should consider dropping Pablo Fornals, who was anonymous against Crystal Palace last weekend.
Should West Ham drop Fornals vs Man City?
Many were clamouring for the fan favourite to be included after his outrageous scorpion goal against Bournemouth. Unfortunately, he was again restricted to the bench in the 2-1 loss to Liverpool but was awarded a start at Selhurst Park last Saturday.
However, the Spaniard failed to repay his manager’s faith and dropped an underwhelming performance in the 4-3 defeat to the Eagles.
During his time on the pitch, he didn’t register any key passes, shots, accurate crosses or successful dribbles in a miserable showing that meant he was sacrificed after 45 minutes.
It has been a frustrating campaign for the 27-year-old, who has only started 13 top-flight games and has made more appearances coming off the bench.
However, Moyes’ reluctance to include the midfielder more regularly is understandable – this is supported by the fact that the player dismally ranks in the bottom 9% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries per 90, as well as the lowest 6% for successful take-ons.
The Scotsman has often preferred the directness of Jarrod Bowen, or the immense trickery of the skilful pair of Said Benrahma and Lucas Paqueta, instead of the £65k-per-week star.
Although the former Villarreal man’s application and work rate cannot be discounted, the Irons will need more than that if they are to provide a goal threat whilst stifling the in-form team in Europe.
Nevertheless, there is still plenty more opportunity for Fornals this season as his side still remains in the Europa Conference league and take on AZ Alkmaar in the semi-final next week.
