The main target men that are a constant threat for West Ham are Diafra Sakho, Stewart Downing, Alex Song and Andy Carroll. These four players along with defensive stalwart Winston Reid have been instrumental in boss Sam Allardyce's resurgence of the club.
Allardyce was favourite for the chop last season but with his team still vying for the top four, David Gold's choice to stick by big Sam looks to be an inspired one. The tally of goals scored by the Hammers is 35, superior to Liverpool's 31. The creativity and attacking drive that has become an expected formality with West Ham this season is down to the four attacking players mentioned above, Sakho a summer purchase from Ligue 2 club Metz has been a focal point of West Ham's new look play, the Ligue 2 player of the year last year has scored 8 goals in the process. The pair of Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing two purchases from Liverpool have regained exceptional form that has seen Downing called up for England twice, although he did not feature through injury. The freedom and build up play is a stark comparison to the style of football seen at Upton park last season, with fans openly booing Sam Allardyce for his 'boring style of football'. This however looks to be a thing of the past, special recognition can be given to on loan Barcelona star Alex Song who is looking to rebuild his career after a £14 million move from Arsenal in 2012.
Song was a target for Liverpool in the summer however negotiations fizzled out and the in form nucleus of West Ham will be looking to replicate the result of their last fixture with Liverpool a 3-1 dominance at Upton Park. Song's career at the Catalan club seems determined to fade away, Upton Park seems a much more comfortable home for him and his style of play is much more physical and accustomed to the Premier league. Once you give the ball away in La Liga especially at Barcelona it is constantly talked about however in the premier league it is more forgiveable.
Liverpool suffering at the hands of Chelsea on Tuesday may be a blessing in disguise, the merseyside club who are one of the favourites left in the FA cup as well as the upcoming Europa league, may feel they have a real opening to focus on getting back into the top four.
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 6 premier league features, with only Southampton more in form that them. A extra significance to this fixture is the rumoured return of English supremo Daniel Sturridge, the Liverpool hit man has been without an appearance for five months, Sturridge was quoted as feeling 'anxious' about his return to football, but everyone at Liverpool football club will be delighted especially considering their distinct lack of finishing ability in his absence. The team of Liverpool as a whole seem to be a lot more stable with them finding their feet and showing glimpses of the form last year that saw them take Manchester City to the final day.
Mignolet, a player who seemed to have been shown the door by the club has shown compelling performances as of late, notably against Chelsea in a match which was dominated by outrageous goalkeeping saves, Mignolet has kept 8 clean sheets this season, an underestimated statistic given the 'crisis' that was described at the club just three months ago. Liverpool will look to bounce back against West Ham in a fixture that could see them overtake the London club for the first time since August. Mignolet seems to have taken notice of the third placed Ballon D'or nominee, Manuel Neur, Mignolet has shown glimpses of taking the ball out of the box and then setting his team on the way to an attack. This is a welcoming sight for Liverpool fans who often viewed the Belgian as vulnerable with a sheer lack of confidence, however Mignolet still has a lot to learn but at just 26, shows positive signs of a successful career.
The match will be a highly competitive spectacle, with both teams focusing on attack. The midfield dynamo Alex Song will be a danger man any time the ball is at his feet, Henderson and Lucas, the predicted midfield duo will look to stop his movements and reduce his play to a minimum, Lucas has been a revalation in his defensive midfield role, with him there it allows Gerrard to drive at the opposition more and if he does make a mistake he has Henderson alongside him as cover.
Markovic if plays as expected will have a lot more room and freedom to play in than he did against Chelsea were his defensive skills were put to the test a lot. The return of Daniel Sturridge is an extreme boost to Liverpool who have looked vulnerable in attack, Raheem Sterling has often been inconsistent with his finishing and Mario Ballotelli has been inconsistent with every aspect of his play. Sturridge is a player who knows how to put the ball in the back of the net and as he finished last season as second top goalscorer the pressure on his shoulders to perform will be a massive task, as long as Sturridge is on that football pitch even as a substitute will be a preferred place to be for Sturridge who as the camera panned to him watching from his executive box every week showed him as a shadow.
Predicted Line up: Mignolet,
Lovren, Skrtel, Can
Markovic, Henderson (C), Lucas, Moreno
Sterling Coutinho
Sturridge
(If Sturridge does not start, Sterling will be striker and Gerrard will take his role)
No comments:
Post a Comment