Battle of the Brazilians as West Ham Travel to Merseyside
By Adam Smith
West Ham will go north in search of their first points of the Premier League season in a battle with Everton. Supporters are getting restless with the team’s performance so far and the pressure is on. Here it the marquee matchup ahead of this dire match for West Ham at Everton.
Two lofty transfer rumors emerged this summer with West Ham central and in pursuit of some spark-plug Brazilian attackers. Lazio’s Felipe Anderson joined West Ham and Shakhtar Donetsk’s Bernard left it late but settled on Everton as his landing spot in the Premier League.
One month in and the two clubs are in different spots, but their newcomer Brazilians will be the main matchup in this post international break Premier League clash.
Bernard
Everton fans have a lot to be excited about with regards to Bernard. The 26-year-old has played just 5 minutes of Premier League football but with immense injuries to their first team Everton have had their hand forced and Bernard will finally start.
Last season at Shakhtar Donetsk, Bernard played in 18 league games and scored six goals adding three assists. The playmaker has the ability to find himself on the score sheet as he has proved over his time in Ukraine and will hope to fill the Richarlison sized void on the left side of the pitch.
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Originally touted as the next big thing for Brazilian football in 2011, Bernard uses his pace to create space in tight areas, escaping physical battles and opening up room to facilitate his technical skills. Bernard isn’t a big physical presence so the tactic he has relied on his whole playing career of changing pace to create space will again be a tool for him in the Premier League.
Look for Pellegrini to choose Ryan Fredericks over Pablo Zabaleta to track the speed of Bernard. Fredericks may not be as solid defensively as Zabaleta but his elite speed can get him close to Bernard to force the physical battles he shies away from hopefully neutralizing the attacking threat.
Felipe Anderson
Anderson has four more games of Premier League experience on Bernard and needs to start using it have a statement game for the Hammers. West Ham were in on both players but Pellegrini prioritized Anderson so it’s time for him to step up and prove his manager correct.
Anderson should slot into the #10 role behind Marko Arnautovic with a winger on either side of him to outlet the ball to. Anderson looked solid in that central position against Arsenal and Wolves but has yet to have a stand out performance for 90 minutes. Everton is a team reeling with injuries and Anderson needs to expose these and stamp his name on this game.
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The good news is that Idrissa Gueye is likely out for this match meaning the defensive midfield lined up against him will consist of youngster Tom Davies and Morgan Schneiderlin. Davies is still a burgeoning Premier League player and can get overwhelmed easily and Schneiderlin has questions surrounding his quality and effort levels. Defensive midfield is an area of weakness for Everton and Anderson can capitalize on it in this match.