Team Focus: Big Sam's Change of Tack Reaping Rewards at West Ham
At Manchester United, they’re already talking about the next game, and are desperate to move on. Juan Mata was keen to try and point to the positives in the wake of the incredible 5-3 defeat to Leicester City, referencing their forthcoming series of home fixtures.
“Now, we play two consecutive games in Old Trafford that we want to win for our fans. We will put our best efforts to it, you can be sure of that.” You can also be sure that United will get a tough game, and home advantage is no guarantee of coming through it.
Because, at West Ham United, they’ve been doing a fair amount of talking too. Manager Sam Allardyce has been saying this is his most exciting team since Bolton Wanderers 2005/06. As hollow as that may sound, the opening period of last weekend’s 3-1 win over Liverpool at Upton Park was one of the most thrilling spells of football this season. West Ham absolutely tore into Brendan Rodgers's team from the off, and were 2-0 up within seven minutes. Liverpool couldn’t handle the pace, as the stadium rocked and Allardyce’s players kept rolling on.
That was the perfect start, and it led to a fine finish, when substitute Morgan Amalfitano gloriously caught the away side on the break in the 89th minute to make it 3-1. That victory left Allardyce talking about the finest performance during his reign at the club, and made West Ham the fourth top scorers (9) in this Premier League season so far.
If the latter seems like no more than a quirk of early-season, the style of attack could be something that becomes more standard.
Opposition sides may have to get used to Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho charging at them, as Allardyce explained they are already playing in the way he has planned for the long term. “The front two looked like they’ve been here a long time,” the manager said. “The energy they’ve got, in and out of possession, terrorised their back four today. That performance today shows what capabilities we might have for this season.
“Our players have hit the ground running. That’s helped us an awful lot. We’ve had four out of five games that have been very good, and one bad game against Southampton, but it’s important to play well and win.” That last comment has a few levels, especially when you consider what went on at West Ham in the summer.
Allardyce came under severe pressure for his style of play, provoking an apparent face-off with the owners, and even acerbic comments from the manager about the type of attacking “demanded in the game now”. The wonder is whether they genuinely reached something of a compromise.
Are the two pacey strikers just making West Ham look more exciting, or are they facilitating something deeper? It is worth considering that Allardyce has also altered the shape of his midfield to a diamond, and there is concrete evidence of evolution in some of the stats.
Most pointedly, West Ham no longer hit the highest proportion of long balls in the Premier League - as was the case last season. While they may be playing more long balls overall than in both of their past two seasons in the Premier League (60.4 per game compared to a low of 50.1), that is actually a lower proportion of their overall number of passes - 15.4% compared to 2013/14's 16.7%.
In other words, there is more nuance to an Allardyce team. They are playing with more possession, as a 2013/14 low of 42.6% has risen to 46.8%. Pass accuracy has also risen with it, from 73.9% to 78.2%, indicating a higher level of quality on the ball.
West Ham play fewer crosses too, dropping from 26.7 in 2012/13 to 21.6, but actually offer more of an attacking threat. The team try more shots, at 13.8, with more of them on target, at 5.2.
Even if it is early in the season, it’s hard not to think the new players have brought an evolution, and an elevation in quality. They may not regularly play as excitingly as they did against Liverpool, but they do look like they have greater range and pace to their attacking. “Look at the quality of our finishing,” Allardyce said. “We’ve been trying to improve it since the summer, but that was there for all to see.”
United will see it this weekend, and directly face it. There does look a danger in an attack this direct facing a defence that has recently been that porous, and Allardyce may attempt to stifle Daley Blind with a centrally-positioned Stewart Downing in the manner he did to Steven Gerrard.
Either way, West Ham look like they have more that must be stifled themselves, which says more than old comparisons. They are much more of a threat. They must just keep it up.
What do you think has improved about West Ham's play this season? Let us know in the comments below
