Five things West Ham need to do against Cardiff

The Hammers are in the uncomfortable position of having to fight their way through the play-offs after finishing just behind Southampton in the race for second place. A chance to play in the Premier League is the reward for the winner of the Playoffs, along with an estimated £80m. For the Hammers to regain their Premier status at the first time of asking the first hurdle they must cross is against Cardiff City and this is how we can beat them;

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1. We must take our chances.

This sounds obvious, but it has been our downfall this season. When we played against Cardiff at home on the first day of the season, the Hammers were dominant throughout most of the game, only to be undone by an injury time winner from Kenny Miller. Cardiff were on the back foot for almost the entire match, but the Hammers squandered chances and paid the ultimate price. In the away fixture, the Hammers were in control once more, however we were much more clinical in front of goal, winning 2-0.

2. We have to stop Peter Whittingham.

Whittingham has been a shining light for Cardiff this season, playing in a central role, dictating play and scoring goals. Not only does Whittingham have 13 assists this season (which is the third best in the league) but he has scored 12 goals. He is Cardiff’s top scorer despite playing in the midfield, so making sure that he is allowed as little time on the ball as possible is essential for the Hammers.

 

 

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3. We have to control possession and pressurise Cardiff when out of possession.

To win this game we have to keep hold of possession and dominate from the start. Cardiff have players such as Whittingham and Liam Lawrence (who has 11 assists this season) who can create chances from nothing if they are allowed time and space. If we manage to control the game and keep these two players quiet, then our chances of progressing will increase dramatically. We must be tenacious when out of possession and calm and patient when in possession. Going back to point 2, to stop Whittingham it is essential that the whole Cardiff team is subjected to intense pressure when they are on the ball so that getting the ball to Whittingham becomes much harder. Also to control possession and dictate play, we need to ball as much as possible, so high pressure is needed to win back possession, preferably high up the pitch.

4. We must utilise Vaz Te.

Ricardo Vaz Te is the second top goal-scorer in the Championship with 20 goals this season. Since signing for West Ham he has scored 10 in 13 games and has become an integral part of the team. To beat Cardiff, Vaz Te must have a good game, so we must play to his strengths. He likes to play off another striker but he can also play on the left hand side and cut in, so it will be interesting to see how Sam Allardyce lines up against Cardiff come Thursday.

5. We must get behind the team on Monday.

Regardless of what the result is on Thursday, every fan has to leave the stadium voiceless from signing too much. I am a firm believer that any team can beat any other team if psychologically

they are prepared and motivated. You can see the affect in any game that the crowd can have on proceedings, so let’s hope that we are in full voice at Upton Park and give the Cardiff players

something to fear. Upton Park can be an intimidating and ferocious ground, where the fans are almost breathing down the necks of the players, so there has to be a hostility at the ground when Cardiff come to East London.

So these are my top 5 things that we need in order to beat Cardiff. What do you think we need? Can we make it through to the final at Wembley? Tweet Me @TollyCoburn

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