When David Moyes first arrived at West Ham following the sacking of Slaven Billic his brief was to save the club from relegation, which he did. One of the 'tools' he used to successfully complete his task was a 'flying wing back' deployment, featuring Aaron Cresswell with Authur Mauaku in tandem.
Of course Moyes was 'bounced' by the club in favour of the more exotic Manuel Pellegrini and we know how that ended up don't we? On his return to save the club from relegation for the second time, Moyes revisited his three at the back with advanced wing backs to make it a five at the back, the results helped Hammers survive yet AGAIN.
Moyes had adapted his system due to player availability and tailored his selections to combat different types of opposition with the alacrity of a man redeemed, part of the 'Moyesiah' myth has been the re-anointment of the King, Authur Masuaku.
Not everybody's cup of tea as a defender admittedly, but when bringing the ball out of defence Masuaku possesses ball control that could embarrass many an elite player. During last night's emphatic 2-0 victory over 'Rabid' Vienna (fan reference for the knob heads who threw the huge water container in the reverse fixture) King Authur showcased his talents yet again.
Masuaku has that almost unbelievable ability to make the ball look as if it is stuck to his foot invisibly, on numerous occasions in Vienna he 'twinkle toed' his way past the opposition as he brought the ball out of defence. Somehow he manages to emerge from tussles that he has no right to do, leaving confusion in his wake.
Masuaku also possesses that rare quality of being able to look unhurried despite what is going on around him, he makes time virtually stand still and does NOT panic when given the ball. Of course 'King Authur' does make mistakes, but they are usually high enough up the pitch to not be a major issue and generally he has the pace to recover should he be required to do so.
As the club approaches the 'Murder Month' of December, TEN games in THIRTY ONE days, David Moyes is going to need every asset he can in order to try and maintain the club's momentum, so it is rather fitting that the King has returned to help the Moyesiah. - Ed
