All the Super League drama may have distracted us from football but this weekend the EPL continues with some spectacular clashes, one of them being West Ham vs Chelsea on Saturday at 18:30 local time. This London derby, involving one of the teams involved in the Super League creation Chelsea and one of the teams whose ambitions would’ve been harmed by it West Ham will be key for a UEFA Champions League spot as both clubs currently sit fourth and fifth with the same points after 32 matches.
Since Tuchel’s arrival, Chelsea have looked very good and dominated most of their games, having the ball and creating good chances but Moye’s West Ham look to be dominated and will gladly give away possession to counterattack and use space. In this tactical analysis, we’ll preview the tactics of both teams and the key aspects of the game.
West Ham: low block and counterattacking variety
We can expect West Ham to continue using the tactics they’ve been using for most games this season. Sitting in a low block to defend in a compact shape and create spaces to counterattack in quick transitions has worked very well for Moyes this season and playing against a dominating Chelsea side, it’s natural to stick to the system that makes the most out of West Ham players.
Moyes has changed between a 5-4-1, a 5-3-1-1 and a 4-2-3-1 this season, but one of the back-five systems seems to be the most probable option considering the rival. Anyway, the principles of the Hammers’ game are independent of their formation.
West Ham will look to defend in their own half, with their defensive and midfield lines very close to each other and forming a compact block that doesn’t allow play between the lines. West Ham allow 16.34 passes per defensive action, one of the highest in the EPL, meaning they prefer to sit deep and let the rivals attack, looking to counterattack with the spaces that appear behind the rival defensive line.
The Hammers don’t only get their compactness from playing their lines together but also from leaving spaces on the flanks and forcing the game wide. With their three centre-backs and the physical presence of Tomáš Souček in the middle of the park (and Declan Rice when he’s fit), they feel comfortable defending smaller spaces and crosses. West Ham rivals cross 16.91 times per game, more than the EPL average, especially among the teams in the top half of the table.
For this match, West Ham won’t have Craig Dawson and Declan Rice, two of their best defensive players, and will have to play Fabián Balbuena, Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna at the back. Cresswell and Masuaku are also doubtful, so it could be Ben Johnson who completes the defensive line on the left side. All the substitutes are good enough to play and have enjoyed playing time this season, so the worries shouldn’t be too big.
In attack, West Ham are a great counterattacking team. They have very good runners with and without the ball and also players capable of breaking the first line of pressure to launch these quick transitions. With their striker and sometimes also Lingard staying relatively high during the defensive phase, they always have good options to start these attacks. Lingard, Antonio, Bowen or Masuaku, to mention dome, are very strong runners with the ball at their feet and also into space, and with the rivals leaving space in behind, they can fully exploit their strengths.
