Against Tottenham Hotspur, Sam Allardyce gambled with a 4-6-0 formation. This gamble happened to pay off magically. Sam then played the same formation against Manchester City, post international break.
The gamble didn’t pay off against City and West Ham lacked a cutting edge and the contrast in the defence compared to the Spurs game was vast and disappointing.
Why was this? Were City just a class above Tottenham? I don’t think that is an explanation worthy of a 3-0 away victory compared to a 3-1 home defeat.
I personally think that the main thing that made the performance against Tottenham possible was the element of surprise. This surprise was no longer a surprise as it was obvious that the exact same squad and formation to face City. It also didn’t help that Man City had the entire international break to work out how to combat the 4-6-0 formation.
It can always be an option to stifle a top team when playing away from home, however, a more positive formation should be preferred at home and also against sides who are not top sides. Especially with Carlton Cole, Mladen Petric and Modibo Maiga bidding for the one striker position that may become a no striker position.
The 4-6-0 formation will ALWAYS be a fond memory for West Ham fans. However, Big Sam will not stick with it versus Swansea City and the like in the future. It will always be an open option and a surprising move in Sam’s playbook.
The surprise factor is the successful element in the 4-6-0 formation and, for now, the surprise element has gone.
SAM NEEDS TO TEACH THEM HOW TO PASS THE BALL WITHOUT BEING SCARED THE TIMES I SAW THEM GET THE BALL IN THERE OWN HALF AGAINST CITY AND JUST KICK IT INTO THE CITY HALF TO A CITY PLAYER WAS PAINFUL