You don’t have to go too far back for a memorable performance against Everton. Adrian was on hand to cap off a memorable FA Cup victory against the Toffees last season, scoring the winning penalty after the game finished 2-2 after extra time.
The game against Everton on Saturday will be a big test for the Irons. Roberto Martinez’s side come into the game against the Hammers fresh off the back of an excellent 6-2 victory against Sunderland.
The attacking duo of Arouna Kone and Romelu Lukaku are in excellent form but it is the latter who has an infamous record of scoring against West Ham. In his last six appearances against the Hammers, the Belgian striker has scored six goals.
Therefore, this week features Adrian and Lukaku as the key battle. The Spaniard’s form has been relatively solid this season, excluding the unfortunate sending off against Leicester City. Rather surprisingly, Adrian has kept just one clean sheet this season in eight games whereas Darren Randolph has picked up two clean sheets in his three league appearances so far.
Lukaku has a fantastic goalscoring record against West Ham
Despite the lack of clean sheets, there is no doubt Adrian has the class to keep out Lukaku.
There was very little Adrian could do about the two goals Watford scored last weekend so he will be determined to keep a clean sheet against an in-form side this time out. His unusual indecisiveness against Chelsea allowed Gary Cahill to score from a corner so Adrian must be on his game throughout, especially from aerial deliveries into the box.
As well as the goalkeeper, it will be an important battle for the centre-backs (whoever they will be) as they try and tame both Kone and Lukaku.
Will West Ham be able to keep a clean sheet against the Toffees? Comment below
Unfortunately, the team can not look to Adrian to get West Ham a win
We must score first and score early..
If we play a 4-2-3-1 pattern, and if Carroll is selected as the lone striker, then we will not win, yet even draw. Surely Carroll’s inability to take simple gilt-edged chances at Watford, suggests that he should be a bench player. Valencia should start the game. If we play with 2 strikers, then Valencia & Zarate should start. Everton are in fine form and will score goals; we just have to score more than them!.
Cheers,
Max
I couldn’t agree more max, not only did Carroll miss a few very good chances he also gifted Watford a goal and in the premier league u jus cant do that, ogbanna and Reid both must start against Everton as ginge is suspended and Tomkins as much as i like him isn’t really playing to his usual standard. I would def start Valencia up front and would start zarate instead of Moses, Moses has been playing well but I jus think zarate has more chance of getting us a goal
In regards the game v Everton yesterday. West Ham could have & should have won that game had the referee been competent in handling Everton’s rough handed tactics employed against Dimitri Payet and just about the entire West Ham team. The amount of really bad fouls that this new referee allowed to pass unpunished was nothing short of a disgrace & a gross miscarriage of justice against West Ham. Everton had no answer for the brilliance of Payet, so what does McCarthy do, he puts Payet out of of the game with an absolutely disgracefully dangerous tackle that could have broken the leg of a man who has been in the world’s headlines for lifting the game. No, it wasn’t until Payet was injured that Everton pounced on Payet in possesion, as there is no way he would have been robbed of the ball had he been uninjured, and that loss of possession led to Everton’s break away goal that robbed West Ham of the 3 points, and then to add insult to injury, poor Velencia who had only just returned from a lengthy injury spell is only on off the bench for a short spell when he gets the Everton treatment as well and is stretchered off. Everything about the referee’s performance yesterday was incompetent, including him blowing his whistle & not letting the West Ham attack continue with Carroll about to bear down on goal before he blew for half time. The officials never stop an attack in progress, they always wait to see if the play will break down before blowing, unless of course it’s West Ham who might benefit, and even at the end of the match the officials do the same again in denying the West Ham free kick. Oh what a protected species you are Everton, and you moan about not winning, you Everton should have got nothing from that game had the officials had there act together & I thought Bilic handled the injustices really well considering