West Ham Should Give 4-1-2-1-2 a Chance
West Ham still haven’t found a stable formation to grow in and it’s March. That’s pretty ridiculous.
Between the injuries and the lack of player effort and commitment nothing has gone properly for West Ham this year at all. Though there are many issues one of them has been that a solid formation to help the players grow and maximize their (limited) talents hasn’t really been agreed upon and then worked with.
The Hammers have tried all of: 4-4-2, 3-4-3, 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 this season. That’s too many formations. You have to practice and drill in a formation to know it well enough to use it in a match. It is inconceivable that a team which has tried that many formations could possibly be well enough drilled in them to succeed in the pressure of a big match scenario. The side should use 4-1-2-1-2 until the season is over and stick with it for God’s sake. Here’s why:
More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham
- Brighton vs West Ham predictions: Can James Ward-Prowse help end the curse?
- West Ham and two Premier League rivals made huge transfer stand
- Lucas Paqueta bet allegations discussed in West Ham and Man City transfer talks
- Bournemouth vs West Ham predictions: Premier League opener amid transfer chaos
- West Ham near Denis Zakaria transfer after final James Ward-Prowse bid
Organization:
4-1-2-1-2 is a simple formation. It’s a 4-2-2 with the added diamond structure that takes out some of the guessing game for midfielders. It puts them into very obvious roles and allows them to make the most of them instead of leaving them wondering where they belong all over the pitch.
Maximizing Talent:
How West Ham could possibly have spent a club record sum of money on a player this previous summer and then not have managed to get him on the field more is absurd. It is truly, unbelievably, absurd. If Andy Carroll is healthy he may as well be on the pitch he’s talented and highly compensated.
He should be alongside Ayew up top every single game. A two-striker system is a necessity. Mark Noble is far too limited physically and from a passing perspective to be anything other than a defensive midfielder. Then in the two should be Snodgrass and Kouyate with Lanzini above them.
The diamond will provide the structure necessary to get the best out of each of them. Especially Snodgrass and Lanzini at the same time for added creativity.
Conclusion:
West Ham are not the most talented team in the world. They need to benefit of structure and organization so that they can at least make themselves hard to beat. 4-1-2-1-2 provides that and a little bit of stability is something the squad sorely need during the wind down towards the end of the season.