West Ham: Key Battles leading up to the Southampton clash
West Ham head home this weekend to take on Southampton in a huge matchup. For now, every match is “must-win” and there are some key battles to look out for.
With 6 spots in the table currently separating West Ham from Southampton this matchup isn’t just key to getting out of the relegation zone but the key to gaining ground. On paper, the Hammer has the better lineup but more often than not that hasn’t worked out well this season.
Although Southampton is in about as bad of a run as West Ham, their sporadic season has seen them perform well and away from the fear of the drop. Both of these sides have a lot of similarities as well leading up a lot of key battles this Saturday at the London Stadium.
1. Ogbonna/Diop vs Ings/Long
At times the Hammers backline has been a wall. Other times… not so much and what has been more frustrating is that nobody back there has built a partnership, until last week. Seemingly, the front-runners for the CB slots are Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop and they will be busy once more Saturday.
Depending on the Saints formation, they will either see Danny Ings or a combo of him and Shane Long. Either way, those two have been luckily good for most of the season and a real lifeline for their club. Physically West Ham has that edge but both Saints forwards have been crafty all season and have fared well against bigger competition.
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2. Outside Looking In
As the Hammers get healthier the team selection for David Moyes has to be stressful at best. After last week’s match, the potential key contributors and starters might be Felipe Anderson and Robert Snodgrass. Bowen is looming in the wings but you just can’t drop McMessi with how he has been performing.
Last match both Snoddy and Declan Rice lined up beautiful balls from outside into the box and hey, it worked well! This weekend will be as equally difficult with the likes of James Ward Prowse and Ryan Bertrand patrolling the lines it will be a tough task for whoever starts for the Hammers.
3. The Battle within
No, this isn’t a self-reflection post but it should be. This battle will be won or lost on the pitch and in the minds of everyone at West Ham. Monday’s loss to Liverpool was successful if you can call it that and the squad and coaches will need to work off of that to get a must-needed win this weekend.
They will either come out guns-a-blazing ready to fight like the last match full of confidence and spirit, or they will come out flat like the previous 2 months. The battle will be to allow the former too out beat the latter of that statement and keep this good feeling going.
In a sense, this matchup is the most winnable when you look at West Ham’s schedule coming up. To continue calling it a “must-win” sounds cliché but the truth is, it is. This matchup can be huge for the psyche for the team and get them out of the relegation zone. Every week over the next month gets harder and the time has to be now.
Next. West Ham have a new spirit about them. dark
If the Hammers can focus on and win these 3 key battles, then the match should end up in 3 points and a boost up the EPL table. The worst-case scenario is a draw for this match as points are nice… but at this stage 1 doesn’t get you very far. Until then, COME ON YOU IRONS!