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West Ham vs Saints - Build-up


SuperSAINT

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No because that requires compromise to your preferred game plan in order to compensate for a particular player. In all likelihood it will create opportunities for other players as Saturday basically proved. If Villa did one thing right it was keep Ings fairly quiet, at the expense of Long, Djenepo and Armstrong having a turkey shoot.

 

So did we compromise our game plan when we stuck 2 men on Grealish Saturday or Zaha when we played palace? As for the turkey shoot, 28 shots, 2 goals (1 of which was a open goal in the last minute). I bet teams across the globe are shaking in their boots at that conversion rate.

 

Which goes back to my original point, if the rest of the team are only scoring once every 1.5-2 games, then you can afford to adapt your game plan to single out their best player.

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So did we compromise our game plan when we stuck 2 men on Grealish Saturday or Zaha when we played palace? As for the turkey shoot, 28 shots, 2 goals (1 of which was a open goal in the last minute). I bet teams across the globe are shaking in their boots at that conversion rate.

 

Which goes back to my original point, if the rest of the team are only scoring once every 1.5-2 games, then you can afford to adapt your game plan to single out their best player.

 

To an extent. Thankfully the rest of our team is better without Ings than Palace are without Zaha or Villa without Grealish.

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Anthony Taylor on the whistle for this one - another one like Pawson last Saturday who can change with the weather (which looks windy, wet, and cold by the way) - Stuart Attwell will be taking his life in his hands, minding the van full of TV’s outside the stadium in an east London car park.

Although VAR is increasingly making the Man in the van and his Assistant almost more important that the Ref running about on the grass.

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So did we compromise our game plan when we stuck 2 men on Grealish Saturday or Zaha when we played palace? As for the turkey shoot, 28 shots, 2 goals (1 of which was a open goal in the last minute). I bet teams across the globe are shaking in their boots at that conversion rate.

 

Which goes back to my original point, if the rest of the team are only scoring once every 1.5-2 games, then you can afford to adapt your game plan to single out their best player.

 

Since Jan 1st we've scored 15 goals. 4 of them by Ings

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So did we compromise our game plan when we stuck 2 men on Grealish Saturday or Zaha when we played palace? As for the turkey shoot, 28 shots, 2 goals (1 of which was a open goal in the last minute). I bet teams across the globe are shaking in their boots at that conversion rate.

 

Which goes back to my original point, if the rest of the team are only scoring once every 1.5-2 games, then you can afford to adapt your game plan to single out their best player.

 

Part of that failure to convert chances was down to Ings, he had several good chances, including a 1v1 that he should have scored but tried to put it through Reina's legs.

 

So Villa tried to stifle Ings, didn't do that very well and still lost, giving away several chances to other players as well.

 

So teams can try to stifle Ings, which is not easy in itself because he is a very busy player who is always on the move and will like to be close to his markers anyway to pay of their shoulder or harry them, but if that opens up space for others we have other players capable of scoring goals.

 

Especially if you are marking one of the furthest forward players, if for example they put a DM and DC on Ings to double mark him, that will create space around the edge of the box and the likes of Armstrong and JWP have shown they can finish from 20 yards if given chances.

 

Also its a bit different trying to shut down a team creative outlet (i.e Grealish) than it is to trying to shut down a striker (i.e Ings) because the creative players need the space and time to create, Ings just needs a sniff of an opportunity, and as I said I don't think he particularly cares if people mark him closely because a lot of his game is about harrying defenders and forcing mistakes, so if those defenders are close to him, he is close to them if they get the ball, and he likes to spin in behind or turn people with quick feet, which if the defender is too close is easier to do.

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Pre-Match Press Conference....

 

RH: "KWP is back in contention. Redmond out for another month, should be back after international break"

 

Journo asked about Djenepo. Ralph started to answer: "Because of his mum? Not sure...." and then they cut the video off mid-sentence.....

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Didn't Antonio play down the middle against us last time, or was that just where he ended up on the counter? Either way, on the basis that he absolutely bullied our CBs in the previous game, surely they'll just tell him to do the same again.

 

They played him and Haller up top together, and you're right, they bullied us.

 

I suspect he'll play Antonio up by himself tomorrow, possibly Haller with Antonio on the wing. No way will Moyes play only 2 in CM.

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It would be a ridiculous decision from Moyes to not play Haller and Antonio upfront together tomorrow. I'm thinking they might go all out attack, and match us up with a front 4, Anderson and Snodgrass as inside forwards.
If so, we need a back four of JWP Stephens Bednarek Bertrand.

 

Possibly with Romeu instead of Smallbone for this one.

 

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They played him and Haller up top together, and you're right, they bullied us.

 

I suspect he'll play Antonio up by himself tomorrow, possibly Haller with Antonio on the wing. No way will Moyes play only 2 in CM.

 

I agree with this, though expecting Haller up top and Antonio ineffectively on the wing. Moyes is not Pellegrini, he'll not want to risk losing with an attacking formation.

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What would you think about playing Long at a wing?

 

Go Armstrong JWP Höjbjerg Long as a midfield 4.

 

Boufal should of course start this game if Djenepo can't but would you consider Long as a LW/RW?

 

Not for me. Long's running makes so much space for Ings and pushing him out wide reduces Ings threat.

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Could be worth playing Long slightly left, Armstrong right and play JWP, Smallbone and Hojbjerg in the middle.

 

We wouldn't get overrun, might control it better. I never know whether we should start Boufal or not, seems like the sort of game that might pass him by. Will be lacking a bit of creativity but think if we press enough they'll make mistakes anyway, plus set pieces will be a threat.

 

I'd rather we stick to the formation that is working.

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Would you consider playing Long as a LM/RM in a 4-2-2-2 If both Boufal and Djenepo is out? If not who else?

 

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If hypothetically Boufal, Djenepo and Redmond were all out, we’d still have a couple of options besides Armstrong to play in attacking midfield, excluding youngsters. There’s JWP, who used to play further forward on occasion in Pochettino’s system (assuming he’s not needed at right back), and Che Adams can also play as a winger as he did on occasion for Brum. But Boufal is fit so expect him to start.

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Stat of the day as I blindly search through Transfermrkt: Shane Long has played against West Ham 8 times and Danny Ings 7 times, and neither has yet scored against them.

 

Good time to break a duck.

 

I can only assume the line up with be:

 

McCarthy, KWP, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand, JWP, Hojbjerg, Armstrong, Boufal, Ings, Long. (Subs: Gunn, Valery, Vestergaard, Romeu, Smallbone, Adams, Obafemi.)

 

West Ham fans on KUMB oddly confident about this game, saying we have nothing to play for. We’re 7 points off 5th. We have everything to play for, especially if City go tits up. Thankfully even in games we’ve lost this year, we’ve played well, so I expect Hasenhüttl to keep the team focussed. Redmond and Djenepo are losses (if Djenepo is out) but in Armstrong and Boufal we still have creativity.

 

I’d take a draw but this team post-9nil is good enough to win.

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"Possibly with Romeu instead of Smallbone for this one.'

 

Big mistake IMO. Whilst I hold Romeu in the highest regard as a pro, he just seems of the pace at the moment.

 

Quicker to the foul than the ball these days. Smallbone made a big impact, start with him with Romeu to come on when his legs tire.

 

I would also play Dansu or Stephen's at right back, as we need to counteract their bullying style.

 

 

 

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In a way there's no real pressure on us. Going to take the old clichéd stance of whoever scores first, wins.

West Ham 3-1 Saints (Antonio 17, Noble pen 42, Snodgrass 63, Stephens 88)

 

West Ham 0-3 Saints (Ings 19, 32, Armstrong 76)

 

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My heart agrees with you but we need at least a draw to maintain our head above Palace or Brighton. So I'm going for 1-2 for Saints

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"Possibly with Romeu instead of Smallbone for this one.'

 

Big mistake IMO. Whilst I hold Romeu in the highest regard as a pro, he just seems of the pace at the moment.

 

Quicker to the foul than the ball these days. Smallbone made a big impact, start with him with Romeu to come on when his legs tire.

 

I would also play Dansu or Stephen's at right back, as we need to counteract their bullying style.

 

 

 

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Danso at right back didn’t work out too fantastically last time we tried it. Think we should give that a swerve.

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