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Can West Ham capitalize on Chelsea’s £71 weak spot? Match Preview

By Adam Smith

IPSWICH, ENGLAND - JULY 28: Fabian Balbuena of West Ham United during the pre-season friendly match between Ipswich Town and West Ham United at Portman Road on July 28, 2018 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
IPSWICH, ENGLAND - JULY 28: Fabian Balbuena of West Ham United during the pre-season friendly match between Ipswich Town and West Ham United at Portman Road on July 28, 2018 in Ipswich, England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images) /
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It’s ridiculous to think that a month and a half into a season could be enough time to label a player who commanded a massive transfer fee a “weak spot” but how Chelsea’s new goalkeeper plays in this match will be critical if West Ham are to earn a result.

Yes, Kepa Arrizabalaga is a promising young keeper who will do great for Chelsea, but I’m serious, he is Chelsea’s weakest part of their team right now. That should tell you something about just how good Chelsea are; from top to bottom the Chelsea squad are elite in the Premier League, and Kepa is just new, not weak.

The Chelsea back line protecting Kepa will likely feature Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso who are dominant fullbacks having mastered balancing attack and defense, while David Luiz and  Antonio Rudiger should round out the center back pairing.

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In midfield, Chelsea are stacked. N’Golo Kante has new recruits Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic added to his flanks on top of the already impressive squad of midfielders on the team. Jorginho has been a passing machine, dolling out 509 passes already this season to lead the Premier League. Kovacic could miss this match due to a leg injury but Reuben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley are waiting in the wings to take his spot should he miss the derby.

Chelsea’s attack features the league-leading goal scorer in Eden hazard (5) on the left wing, with Willian on the right side. Alvaro Morata has been given the opportunity to take the reigns as Chelsea’s center forward, but it appears that countless missed opportunities could see him second choice behind Oliver Giroud.

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It would be wise for Chelsea to use their target man Giroud against West Ham, tactically speaking. West Ham have struggled defending setpieces this season, allowing Bournemouth and Liverpool to score from them. Aerial attacks, in general, have caused problems for West Ham’s backline as shotty man marking has led to conceded goals; Everton capitalized on this weakness for Gylfi Sigurdsson’s goal last week. Balbuena and Diop are solid aerial defenders and without Ogbonna in the line up should get better at adjusting to the Premier League target man strikers.

That leaves Kepa as Chelsea’s weakest point, although it isn’t that weak to be fair. West Ham fans know more than anyone (cough, cough Felipe) that it takes time for foreign players or players playing abroad to adjust to the Premier League style – goalkeepers are not exempt from this.

If West Ham can pressure Kepa early and often there is a chance they can force the young, new keeper into an error. Arnautovic’s press on Pickford showed this tactic can work, and Kepa does like to play the ball out to his defenders as he relies on short, slick passes to ignite Chelsea’s movement up-pitch. West Ham’s pressure will need to be constant from their front three and supported by the midfield who can strangulate the distribution options for Kepa, too.

It is a big match for West Ham’s back line. The four defenders will likely be Zabaleta, Diop, Balbuena, and Masuaku who are to defend against Hazard, Giroud, and Willian. Diop and Balbuena need to be on their game matching Giroud’s aerial threat and defusing any over-the-top attacks Chelsea try to employ.

Likewise, both fullbacks will have their hands full with Chelsea’s wingers. Zabaleta should get the start, prioritizing defense and experience over speed at right back. He’ll need a top performance as Hazard has been possessed this season and is coming off of a hattrick against Cardiff. Hazard is quick, but his quiet runs need to be picked up immediately and Zabaleta needs to make life difficult for him by bringing some physicality into play by knocking him about as much as he can.

Willian’s speed is his greatest asset and Masuaku will have to make sure he doesn’t go unmarked when drifting into the box. He scored the winner in Chelsea’s Europa League match and is an everpresent threat to score. If the defensive midfielders can support Masuaku in his attempt to disrupt the pacey buildup play Willian relies on West Ham will be in a better position.

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Overall, it isn’t a death sentence match for West Ham but any result will have to be earned. Chelsea are top of the league for a reason and have played extremely well early on. It will fall on West Ham to weather the initial storm and keep the pressure on if they score first, as they failed to do against Bournemouth and Arsenal. Counterattack and throw everything at the net – that should be West Ham’s game plan for Chelsea.