OPINION
West Ham will destroy Watford on Saturday if Manuel Pellegrini makes a few changes to the side that started the comfortable 2-0 victory over Fulham.
The Hammers are set to host the inconsistent Hornets at the London Stadium and are aiming to keep their impressive winning streak alive by racking up another victory.
For Manuel Pellegrini to see his side making it five league wins on the bounce, he needs to drop the axe on three players.
The first player he needs to axe comes on the right-side of his defence as Pablo Zabaleta, who earns £70,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), should sit Saturday’s clash out.
The big-earner was his usually excellent self against Fulham but with fixtures coming thick and fast, he should be rested in order for Michail Antonio to take his place.
Antonio scored against Fulham when playing up front and previously impressed as a right-back against Cardiff City, so given that the Hornets have conceded 11 goals in their last five league, Pellegrini should go with the 28-year-old over Zabaleta on this occasion.
This is because Antonio has the defensive strength to keep Watford at bay but will also be more of a attacking force than the 33-year-old right-back.
The other defender who should be axed alongside Zabaleta, also comes in the Hammers’ defence in the form of Arthur Masuaku.
The left-back has struggled all season and with Aaron Cresswell back from injury, he was on the bench against Fulham and Crystal Palace, Pellegrini should bring the Englishman in for Masuaku.
Cresswell is more solid when its comes to his defensive duties and can offer an attacking outlet to make the Hornets sweat.
The rest of Pellegrini’s defence must stay the same with Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski all standout performers this season.
The experienced boss must also keep the in-form Felipe Anderson, Robert Snodgrass, Declan Rice and Javier Hernandez when looking at his team further up the pitch, but must drop Mark Noble for his third change.
The veteran looked in need of a rest against Fulham as he wasn’t on top-form and this should lead to Pellegrini injecting some fresh legs into his team by playing Pedro Obiang in his place.
Finally, Pellegrini should give 29-year-old Andy Carroll a rare start, his first of the season, by playing him against Watford on Saturday.
With Antonio playing at right-back instead of Zabaleta, the forward can take his teammates place up front, as that’s where he played against Fulham, in order to give his side an aerial threat that will be too much for the Hornets to handle.
If Pellegrini makes these changes which sees three players chopped, than the Hammers will destroy Watford as their team will be too much for a side that has shipped goals as of late.
