West Ham United find themselves in the Premier League top six after 12 games of the 2020-21 season, with the club’s supporters buoyed by the team’s positive start to the campaign.
Much of the credit for this promising period must go to Hammers manager David Moyes, who has switched formation a number of times and got buy-in from the first-team squad.
The West Ham coach has also got his team selections correct more often than not, with his sidelining of one Irons player improving the team and taking guts to facilitate.
Club captain Mark Noble is a Hammers fans favourite given he has been with the London outfit for his entire career and in previous campaigns the central midfielder has commanded a starting place in the side automatically.
However, with the rise and rise of Declan Rice as a midfield shield and the energy and enterprise of Tomas Soucek, there is no doubting this duo is West Ham’s best partnership in the heart of the team.
While other managers may have lacked the nerve to drop a player like Noble, who commands so much respect at the club, Moyes has handled the situation brilliantly.
The veteran is still playing a role in the side’s success by being introduced from the West Ham bench, while Rice and Soucek are working so well together and have been a key component in the team’s positive results.
Moyes was not backed financially in the transfer market by the club’s hierarchy in the summer but the Hammers boss is using the players at his disposal expertly to exceed expectation in 2020-21.