Opinion from the stands

This is what the Hammers must do to avoid another Tottenham thrashing

|
Image for This is what the Hammers must do to avoid another Tottenham thrashing

4710491

West Ham fans will be hoping that this season’s White Hart Lane nightmare will be a distant memory come tomorrow evening.

The 4-1 result was hard to take considering the manner of the performance and Spurs may be in for a real surprise this time round when they visit Upton Park for the final time.

The Hammers have not lost at home in the league since the 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth way back in August and Slaven Bilic will be determined to eradicate the mistakes that made it all too easy for Spurs in that dismal defeat.

In order for West Ham to continue their unbeaten home run, there are a number of things that have to be avoided this time round. Firstly, the team must cut out defensive errors. Looking back at the goals Tottenham scored in the previous encounter, all of them are preventable from a West Ham point of view.

Harry Kane was gifted two goals as the defence failed to close down the striker. Kyle Walker’s goal was another example of standing off, allowing the opposition too much time and space. The Hammers need to be switched on from the off, they can’t afford to give the ball away cheaply as Tottenham will punish sloppy errors.

Looking back at the highlights of the game, the Hammers just did not look up for the occasion. Toby Alderweireld’s goal from a corner was another gift from the Hammers’ point of view. The defender’s header was one of two headed goals conceded by West Ham in the league this season so it’s fair to argue that Bilic has certainly tightened up the defence since then.

Other than eradicating defensive mistakes, West Ham must use the front man well tomorrow evening. Andy Carroll started up top at White Hart Lane and Diafra Sakho adopted more of a wide role. The team really struggled for service throughout the whole game due to the absence of Dimitri Payet and the fact that Sakho was not playing centrally. However, when the team gave Manuel Lanzini the ball in a dangerous area, he punished Spurs with his direct approach and scored a brilliant goal. Unfortunately, it simply didn’t happen enough at White Hart Lane.

lanzini

At least there was one positive to take from the defeat

Therefore, Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini will be absolutely vital in tomorrow’s fixture. Tottenham will be worried about the attacking ability of both players and this should free up space for the wider attackers to exploit the gaps, especially when players like Payet and Lanzini can pick them out.

To summarise, the Hammers need to be more resolute in defence this time round and they shouldn’t be afraid to go at Tottenham. Emmanuel Emenike barely saw the ball against Sunderland so the Hammers will need to support the striker a lot better against an in-form Spurs side for this one.

It’s going to be a tough game but Bilic will have his players fired up. Tottenham may have had it easy last time but this group of players won’t let that happen again. The Hammers are more than capable of ruining Spurs’ title dreams and a victory over our rivals would be another excellent Boleyn Ground memory for the final season.

Will the Hammers get their revenge and beat Tottenham? 

Share this article