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The Scot David Moyes is the second time coach of West Ham United
Photo: Clive Rose / imago images / PA Images
David Moyes had an internal conflict to resolve.
On the one hand, the West Ham United coach was saddened by the defeat at Manchester City last day.
On the other hand, he was proud that his Hammers had given the Premier League over-team an uncomfortable afternoon and only narrowly lost - 1: 2.
"We may not have been good enough for ManCity, but hopefully our performance was good enough to beat some of our opponents in the coming weeks," said Moyes, putting his conflicting emotions into words.
Not as good as the best but better than many - that's West Ham at the moment.
The East Londoners, who played against relegation a year ago, are surprisingly positive this season and have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
With a win this Monday against Leeds United (9 p.m., TV: Sky; live ticker SPIEGEL.de), the Hammers could move up to fifth place.
The face of the upswing is Moyes.
Nobody thought he would make West Ham the top team - except possibly himself.
Manuel Pellegrini's predecessor and successor
Even own club owners David Sullivan and David Gold - both with a history in the adult industry - had reservations about the 57-year-old Scot.
In 2017/2018 Moyes came to the Hammers during the season, managed to stay in the league - and was sent away as a thank you.
Sullivan and Gold preferred a coach with a sonorous name and international flair.
They signed Manchester City's former master maker Manuel Pellegrini.
He was released at the end of 2019.
Moyes came back and has been working to restore his reputation ever since.
The doubts about his abilities were justified.
After eleven successful years at Everton - the Toffees made it into the top seven eight times during this period - Moyes was chosen to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013.
The job was too big, Moyes had to leave after less than a season.
His subsequent employments at Real Sociedad and Sunderland were disastrous.
The trainer became a laughing stock in the English public.
Maybe he just got into the wrong clubs.
West Ham suits him perfectly, at least for now.
There Moyes can work according to the same principles as at Everton.
The blueprint for success is identical.
Instead of dazzling players with a difficult disposition - Samir Nasri, Marko Arnautović and Chicharito have been active for West Ham in recent years - Moyes trusts professionals who are less well-known, but leave their hearts on the pitch.
Representing this are the Czechs Tomáš Souček (defensive midfield) and Vladimir Coufal (right-back), who Moyes signed for 22 million euros from Slavia Prague - small change for the Premier League.
They are what they call no-nonsense players in England.
Uncompromising workers.
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Tomáš Souček (left) has already scored eight goals in 26 league games - even though he is playing in defensive midfield
Photo: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Moyes has given West Ham a clear style that is not particularly spectacular, but effective.
The team leaves the ball to the opponent and defends in a disciplined manner and as a unit.
For goals, corners and free kicks are often required.
West Ham are the Premier League side with the most goals by standards (twelve).
Jesse Lingard, on loan from Manchester United, is flourishing and adding a bit of shine to the offensive.
At the very front, Mikhail Antonio serves as the target player.
This is an example of the fact that Moyes likes to creatively solve weaknesses in the squad.
At Everton, he meanwhile turned midfielders Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini into attackers.
At West Ham he made Antonio from winger to center forward.
Moyes boosted Antonio's self-confidence and fed him with details about the new role.
In addition, the attacker benefits from not having to bear the burden of scoring alone.
The Hammers' best shooter is Souček with eight goals ahead of Antonio (seven).
"Even on days off, the players came to training as a matter of course."
The team is a collective.
That speaks for the leadership of Moyes.
Stefan Wessels knows what it looks like.
The ex-goalkeeper once played a season under the coach at Everton and has nothing but good things to say.
“He put a lot of emphasis on the players' personal responsibility.
Even on days off, the players came to training as a matter of course in order to work on themselves - without him having to say anything, ”Wessels told SPIEGEL.
At West Ham, too, the pros work extra shifts of their own accord - with the result that the team is extremely fit, unlike under Pellegrini.
Wessels traces this work ethic back to Moyes: »He really does it with his coaching team and lives what he demands of his players.
That's why people like to train under him.
You want to work on yourself. "
With the belief that you are playing beyond your abilities
Truss, work - that sounds like the values of the West Ham work club, but it's not that simple.
In the old stadium, Upton Park, the Hammers were a unit with the rough neighborhood and the fan base - an often eerie unit.
The club also owes its place in pop culture to its hooligan past.
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In 2016, West Ham moved from the Boleyn Ground, which has been used for over 100 years, to the London Stadium
Photo: Clive Rose / dpa
The club was uprooted when it moved to the 60,000-seat London Olympic Stadium, which was built for the 2012 Games.
At the same time, the demands increased.
The owners talked about the championship and the Champions League and wasted a lot of money on transfers.
But the dream of shine always burst like the soap bubbles in the club's anthem ("I'm forever blowing bubbles").
Comparisons with Hamburger SV come to mind.
Moyes wants to revolutionize West Ham, away from short-term thinking and megalomania.
He told the Times in September: “I want an association that looks further into the future.
I don't want players who serve at West Ham and think: I'll make some money and have a good few years in London. "
Whether the revolution can succeed - whether West Ham's progress is permanent - depends on whether Moyes gets the time to further rebuild the club according to his ideas.
Or whether the owners will at some point think that his back-to-basics football doesn't live up to the Hammers' ambitions.
At Everton, he has proven that entrusting the future to Moyes can be worthwhile.
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