Premier League 2018/19: Bournemouth vs West Ham

This was a mid-table clash if there ever was one. Bournemouth and West Ham were 12th and 9th respectively in the table before kick-off, with both teams safe from relegation fears and unlikely to make the European places.

Eddie Howes side came into this game on a wretched run of form, having won only two of their last 10 games in all competitions, while West Ham were somewhat better off, having beaten Arsenal in their last game. Samir Nasris arrival had provided a welcome fillip for the Hammers, as they looked to continue their charge to be the best of the rest this season.

Lineups

Eddie Howe replaced Asmir Begovic with Artur Boruc in goal, while Nathaniel Clyne made his home debut for the Cherries. Adam Smith continued at left-back, and Callum Wilson returned from injury to lead the line with Joshua King.

Manuel Pellegrini had to drop Marko Arnautovic from the squad because he was too unsettled over a proposed move to China. Andy Carroll replaced him in the XI. The rest of the side was as expected, with Nasri playing behind Carroll and the midfield anchored by two West Ham academy graduates in Mark Noble and Declan Rice.

Arnautovic sorely missed by Hammers

Marko Arnautovic has been a revelation for West Ham since he was moved to a central striking role by David Moyes. The Austrians intelligent movement off the ball has been vital to how the Hammers attack, pulling opposition defenders out of position and creating space for his teammates to attack.

In his absence, Andy Carroll was selected to lead the line. The Englishman is a much more static presence, and he does not possess the speed of thought or foot to make the same runs as Arnautovic. West Ham needed to change their approach if they were to utilise Carrolls strengths. However, they continued to play as if Arnautovic was in the side. Carroll was completely isolated, and the positions in which he got the ball are illuminating.

Bournemouth West Ham Premier League Tactical Analysis Statistics — Note just how few touches Carroll had in the Bournemouth penalty area most of them are in deeper central positions, and with quite a few out wide as well.

The Englishman is at his best when playing with his back to goal and when attacking crosses in the box. However, West Ham did not utilise these strengths. Instead, they tried to play passes down the channels, expecting him to chase them or to have made those runs in the first place.

The fact that Michail Antonio was playing as the centre-forward midway through the first half, with Carroll out wide on the right, is illustrative of the fact that West Ham did not change their approach to suit their players. Rather, they continued playing the same way, hoping that Carroll could somehow make it work