Later on today West Ham will welcome Southampton to the London Stadium in a game that the Hammers simply have to get a result from. Should the Irons lose this one then it could be well over a month until another win comes around, as a tough run of games follows this meeting with the Saints.
With that in mind, David Moyes has to set his side up in the right way to get one over the Ralph Hasenhuttl, who has done a superb job at St. Mary’s this season after recovering from the 9-0 home drubbing at the hands of Leicester City.
So, as Moyes is preparing his side, we’re taking a look at just how we want to see the Hammers set up for the 3pm kick-off in Stratford, and there are a few changes from the team that faced Liverpool, both forced and unforced.
GK: In goal, it will come as no surprise to see that we’ve gone for Lukasz Fabianski. The Polish shot-stopper might have had a game to forget at Anfield, but he’s won the Irons way more points than he’s lost, and no matter what happened on Monday, he’s still a top player.
RB: Fresh off the back of just his second Premier League appearance, both coming against Liverpool, we’ve got Jeremy Ngakia keeping Pablo Zabaleta out of the team. The youngster just has the legs and dynamism that Zaba doesn’t, and this was an easy choice.
CB: Angelo Ogbonna has been one of the few shining lights in a poor season for the Hammers. The Italian could well be set to be named the club’s ‘Hammer of the Year’ this season, and he can’t be dropped for this one.
CB: Alongside the impressive Italian, though, we’ve opted to go with the same man that partnered him against Liverpool in Issa Diop. The Frenchman bagged his 3rd league goal of the season at Anfield (Transfermarkt), and his powerful performances at the back and ability to get up for set-pieces could be crucial.
LB: With Diop in attacking crosses and set-pieces when given the licence to get up the pitch, someone needs to provide the delivery, and Aaron Cresswell is one of the best in the business at doing that, with his wand of a left-foot likely to prove crucial.
DM: This one will surprise no one, as only Declan Rice can play here. The young Englishman is a talent and a half, and his recent performances have reminded everyone just how crucial the academy man is to the Hammers and their chances of survival.
CM: Despite Mr West Ham, Mark Noble, having started against Liverpool we’ve got him dropping out here, and the man we want to see fill in is Robert Snodgrass. Usually found out wide, the Scot’s versatility means he can slot into the middle, giving more legs where Noble would be and also allowing a much quicker wide-man to operate out on the right.
CM: Alongside Snodgrass, we’d have liked to have had Tomas Soucek here, but with the Czech midfield man out injured, Pablo Fornals is the obvious fit. He bagged off the bench at Anfield and his performance was simply too good to have him sitting out again.
RW: It’s a home debut for Jarrod Bowen, and a full debut at that. After coming off the bench against both Man City and Liverpool the 23-year-old has shown glimpses of what he can do, but giving him the licence to get up in Ryan Bertrand’s face down the Irons’ right-flank could be the key to hurting the Saints.
LW: The mercurial Felipe Anderson can turn a game on it’s head on his own when he finds his groove, and should the Brazilian have one of his better games then there’s no reason why he can’t add to his goal tally for the club, something which David Moyes will certainly be hoping he can do.
Should we keep Moyes beyond the summer?
Yes
No
CF: The last spot left in the team comes down to a straight shootout between two men, Sebastien Haller and Michail Antonio, and given the running and energy that he brings, we’ve gone for Antonio here. The winger-cum-forward is a top player and if he can get the ball at his feet and turn the Southamptonton defence then he can cause all sorts of carnage.
(4-1-4-1: Fabianski; Ngakia, Ogbonna, Diop, Cresswell; Rice, Snodgrass, Fornals; Bowen, Anderson, Antonio)
