With many circling this match as the make-or-break in Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham career, it may be completely out of the Hammers’ hands as Southampton’s striker duo can take over a match in the blink of an eye.
Something every West Ham supporter is envious of from Southampton is their use of a 4-4-2 formation, more specifically their striker duo. With Sebastien Haller not clicking by himself and Michail Antonio with no one to play off of, Danny Ings and Shane Long‘s pairing has us Irons looking at what could be in East London. So, why does the duo work so well?
Danny Ings
He’s fit! When Ings was a Liverpool Red, there was never a question about his skill level. Instead, the questions mounted on whether he and fellow English striker Daniel Sturridge could ever stay healthy enough to become regular mainstays in the starting XI. With the emergence of Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi (plus Mohammad Salah and Sadio Mane filling in at striker), Ings was made spare parts.
Since coming to Southampton, Ings has played in 43 matches across all competitions. Last season he managed to appear in 25 matches tallying eight goals and three assists, while this season he’s already netted 11 goals while adding one assist in 18 matches. With Charlie Auston no longer poaching minutes at the end of games or rivaling Ings and Long for starting minutes, the duo has embraced more minutes.
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Ings is the stay central striker you love to see in the Premier League. He’s not a towering #9 at just 5’8″, but he gets his head on a ton of opportunities with his positioning and speed. He isn’t as fast as his counterpart, however, he still presses centre-backs deep and finds space on second opportunities. West Ham would be wise to stick a player on him and restrict his shooting space in every opportunity.
Shane Long
When I think of Shane Long I think pace, pace, pace. The Irish forward is 32-years old but you’d never know it by how quickly he gets up and down the pitch, and how fast he is on a counter-attack. Something his speed does is make onlookers overlook his playmaking ability, too. While snake bit this season, no goals and just one assist in 11 games, don’t count out the Hammers as the team to turn this around for him.
Last season he was more himself than he appears to be this year. He scored five goals and had three assists in 28 matches, but ended the season with four goals in his last seven matches, ending the season on a high note.
As mentioned, Charlie Adams isn’t breathing down his neck anymore but newcomer Che Adams is. Thankfully for Ings and Long, he’s had as bad a year as Long and hasn’t usurped either for regular starts. Long’s speed can cause problems for the Hammers’ defenders by timing his runs against their high-line. If the one tactic Pellegrini has installed in his team fails, Ings and Long can both benefit with their speed, physicality, and veteran positioning against a team low on confidence at the moment.