Green Street Hammers
Fansided

Can Felipe Anderson help West Ham expose City tiredness or rotation?

By Scott Johnson

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Felipe Anderson of West Ham United holds off Ryan Babel of Fulham during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Fulham FC at the London Stadium on February 22, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Felipe Anderson of West Ham United holds off Ryan Babel of Fulham during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Fulham FC at the London Stadium on February 22, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

West Ham will need their big players to perform if they are to get anything at City. Can Felipe Anderson expose a potentially tired or rotating defence?

It may look like a lost cause for West Ham to get points in Manchester, but City aren’t invincible. This season the Hammers have shown up at times no-one expected them to and disappeared when heavy favourites. So can they upset the odds again?

If they’re to get anything out of the match the forward players need to be on form. We can’t defend for 90 minutes against one of the best attacking sides ever assembled, it just won’t work. I think an on form Felipe Anderson could be our best hope, especially if City do rotate their defence after 120 minutes at the weekend.

More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham

Whilst there have been many fans that have been on Felipe Anderson’s back from time to time, but he has the X factor that teams need to make the jump from middle of the table to European contenders. Di Canio had it, Brooking had it, Payet had it. In the current side Lanzini also has that spark, and Arnie can from time to time as well. But Anderson has that magic in his feet that can turn a game on its head.

Whatever backline City play it will either be their second string or they will be tired. Granted a City second string is a very good Premier League side, but that difference could be enough for Anderson to be a significant influence on the match. If he can break the back line just once or create space on the edge of the area just once, he can score or create goals. We’ve seen him do it and some of the goals he has scored it wouldn’t matter who was trying to stop him, they’d be goals in any encounter.

Next. Boost as Key Players return to training. dark

Keeping him in the game is vital to our chances of success. He will give the boys in Claret and Blue hope, as well as a much needed rest from being constantly attacked. I hope he feels confident enough to take some chances on himself, because he has a decent long range shot, and a confident Anderson is a player that not many in the Premier League would feel comfortable coming up against.