David Moyes makes return to London Stadium as West Ham host Everton in crucial clash

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/moyes-david/hUGEt9yf/"]Moyes[/a] had two spells as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/west-ham/Cxq57r8g/"]West Ham[/a] ‌manager, saving them from relegation in his first short stint before leading them into ‌Europe in his second and winning the 2023 UEFA Conference ‌League.[/p][p]His [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/everton/KluSTr9s/"]Everton[/a] team are now pushing for European qualification while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/andrey-santos/vDrVnIrd/"]Nuno Espirito ‌Santo[/a]'s West Ham are in 17th spot and in the midst ‌of a tense relegation battle.[/p][p]While Moyes has nothing to prove, the sense that he was not fully appreciated by West Ham's fans might be lurking ‌in the back of his brain as he ⁠[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/everton-KluSTr9s/west-ham-Cxq57r8g/?mid=h44gMyPc"]returns to East London[/a].[/p][p]With West ‌Ham two points above 18th-placed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham Hotspur[/a], who face bottom club [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/wolves/j3Azpf5d/"]Wolverhampton Wanderers[/a] ​on Saturday, anything other than a win could see them fall back into the bottom three with four games ​left.[/p][p]Espirito Santo is well aware of the threat Everton offer and says Moyes's familiarity with the West Ham squad poses a challenge ⁠ahead of a vital ​fixture.[/p][p][b]"(Former team) managers have the advantage of knowing the players, sometimes the routines,"[/b] the Portuguese, who replaced Graham Potter in September, told reporters.[/p][p]"In this case, David knows the routines, knows the players. So we have ‌to try and make new things happen so we do not become so predictable."[/p][embed guid="8619ff70-ed13-4075-9354-db73c1cafd7d" url="https://x.com/Everton/status/2047659532692701472" social-type="twitter" /][p]Espirito Santo, who took [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nottingham/UsushcZr/"]Nottingham Forest[/a] into Europe last season only to be sacked in September, said playing against a former club as a manager is not just another game.[/p][p][b]"It is always a special game due to the respect and love that you have from former clubs, but you want to win. You want to compete and win,"[/b] he said.[/p][p]West Ham missed the chance ‌to move four points clear of Tottenham when they drew 0-0 ​at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/crystal-palace/AovF1Mia/"]Crystal Palace[/a] on Monday but Espirito Santo remains confident ‌that they will stay up, having been seven points adrift of the safety zone in January.[/p][p][b]"I think the performance of the team gives us all in the club the hope and the belief that we are competing well,"[/b] he said.[/p][p]"All the squad ⁠is available, so having all ⁠the options to try and ‌help us is very important for us."[/p]