West Ham travel to Wales today for the early kick-off to play Swansea City in their first away game back in the Premier League. The two teams have very contrasting styles, with Big Sam’s bruisers looking to battle their way to early points this season, whereas Michael Laudrup has inherited a Swansea side who enjoyed much success last season, adopting a “tika-taka” style made famous by Barcelona and the Spanish National team.
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Swansea haven’t lost at the Liberty stadium since April the 6th when Newcastle United won 2-0. They have won 3 of their last 6 games (running into last season) including their impressive 5-0 thrashing of QPR. Even though many said that the Swans would struggle this season after the departure of Brendan Rodgers it looks as if they could have another successful season under Laudrup. It is still very early days for Laudrup and Swansea, but the signs so far are looking good for Swansea.
The Hammers have won all of their last 6, including the Play-off final and last weekend’s win over Aston Villa. Sam Allardyce’s tactics are not always greeted with happy faces from the fans, but if he can secure safety for the Hammers in the Premier League and a more clinical approach, especially at home, the fans will have no complaints.
The last time these two teams met was 13 years ago, when Swansea secured a surprise win against a Hammers side including Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole. The Hammers were knocked out in the third round reply by the Swans.
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Key Player for Swansea: Michu. Top scoring midfielder in the Spanish La Liga last year and he scored two on his debut against QPR. At only £2m, it looks as if Michu could be a real bargain. He likes to operate in the space in-between the midfield and defence, so whoever plays as the holding midfielder(s) will have their work cut out keeping him quiet. Moreover, the centre backs will have to watch for his darting runs into the box, which saw him score his second goal last Saturday.
Key Player for West Ham: Carlton Cole. This is with the assumption that Cole starts for the Hammers. The “marmite” striker will be playing up top on his own for the Hammers and because of the style in which Swansea play, the Hammers have to make any chances they have count. The Swans will dominate possession, so the Hammers need to make sure that we are dangerous on the counter and from set pieces. Cole’s job on Saturday will be to control balls played long and link-in wide players and Nolan, who scored the winner against Villa. Cole’s strength and persistence is always a key part of his game and it will be interesting to see how the Swansea defence can cope.
Likely lineups: Swansea;
Vorm; Rangel, Chico, Williams (Capt), Taylor; Britton, de Guzman, Michu; Dyer, Graham, Routledge.
Swansea are likely to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Michu playing as an advanced central midfielder and Leon Britton and new signing de Guzman holding. Routledge ran riot against QPR so it will be interesting to see how he performs against the Hammers. I would be surprised if Scott Sinclair was in the squad to face the Hammers, with a possible move to Premier League Champions Manchester City on the cards.
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West Ham;
Jaaskelainen; Demel, Tomkins, Collins, McCartney; Noble, Diame, Nolan(Capt); Taylor, Vaz Te, Cole.
Like Swansea, the Hammers are likely to lineup with two holding midfielders and Nolan playing in a more advanced role. Alou Diarra, Modibo Maiga and Matt Jarvis may also feature, possibly with one in the starting lineup. The Hammers may swap and change between formations, with both a 4-3-3 and a 4-4-2 being available for Big Sam. Taylor’s ability from set pieces will cause Swansea a real threat and it will be interesting to see whether Sam tries to utilise the Hammers’ superior strength over the Swans or he looks to play a more expansive game.
Can the Hammers keep up their excellent away form, or will Swansea be too strong? Tweet me @TollyCoburn
