West Ham produced an excellent performance at Selhurst Park last season to record a 3-1 victory. Mauro Zarate, Stewart Downing and Carlton Cole sealed the three points for the Hammers that day but Bilic’s side will face a very different Palace team this time round.
Alan Pardew has turned the Eagles into an exciting outfit, playing with pace and width. The signing of Yohan Cabaye in the middle was an excellent acquisition as the Frenchman has been in excellent form so far this season.
The Hammers will feel that they can hurt Palace on the counter but the same can be said for Pardew’s side. It will be interesting to see what side keeps hold of the ball as both teams are suited to attacking quickly with purpose rather than breaking teams down.
Palace should look to be on the front foot with their home advantage with the likes of Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie causing problems for the Hammers’ defence out wide. It is in these areas of the pitch where the key battles will occur between wingers and full-backs.
This week’s battle features Palace’s Zaha and the Hammers’ Aaron Cresswell. In the Eagles’ last game against West Brom, Zaha was an absolute nightmare for the Baggies to deal with. Chris Brunt was up against the winger and he struggled all afternoon. No player in that game came close to matching Zaha’s nine successful take-ons and the fact that Chris Brunt made the highest amount of tackles out of anyone on the pitch clearly shows that he was busy (see below).
Chris Brunt had a nightmare against Wilfried Zaha at Selhurst Park (Pic via fourfourtwo stats zone)
Whether it was shooting, creating chances or drawing a foul, Zaha was a threat throughout and it is absolutely vital that Cresswell produces a solid performance on Saturday. The 25-year-old has looked relatively solid since his nightmare against Bournemouth but Bilic must make sure that one-on-one situations involving Palace’s wingers and West Ham’s full-backs remain a rarity.
Cresswell made 17 passes in the attacking third against Sunderland, more than any other player on the opposition. The left-back will get opportunities to go forward but there must be cover when this happens as Palace will break when they get the chance.
Can Cresswell deal with the threat of Zaha? Will West Ham sit back and go for the counter? Comment below
