West Ham United faces a really uphill task as they face the runaway leaders of the Premier League in Chelsea. While it won’t be easy for the Hammers, Bilic does have a few cards to play. Here at The 4th Official, we take a look at the 3 battles West Ham United will have to win Vs Chelsea if they want to win the match.
3 Battles West Ham United Will Have To Win Vs Chelsea If They Want To Win The Match
Jose Fonte vs Diego Costa
The former Southampton man has brought some real stability to West Ham United’s defence just at the right time. With the other in-form centre-half Angelo Ogbonna pretty much out for the season, Bilic was in desperate need of an experienced centre-half who could be relied upon in big fixtures. And the Portuguese international has been doing just that. He has won 48% of his average duels so far, most of which has been in the air; an attribute that will come in handy while marking Diego Costa. The Spanish international relies on brute strength and excellent finishing and Fonte is well aware of that.
Fonte has a brilliant 85% passing accuracy, which could be immensely useful for the likes of Snodgrass, Lanzini and Carroll, who will be left with the job of outwitting Chelsea’s back three. Diego Costa has already scored 16 goals in the league this season and is one shy of becoming the joint top scorer with Kane, Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez. Stopping him will be West Ham’s primary role and Bilic will need Fonte partnering the skipper Winston Reid quite efficiently for that.
Eden Hazard vs Aaron Cresswell
Given the form Eden Hazard is in, Cresswell should have a huge task stopping the winger. The Belgian international has scored 10 goals this season, creating 52 chances and four assists. He has completed 1024 passes so far with a pass accuracy of 84%, of which 68% were forward passes. The 26-year-old is at the peak right now and quite unstoppable and if West Ham manages to stop Hazard, which Swansea City did too in their last game, stopping him is a whole different challenge.
And although Cresswell has been quite effective moving forward, his defensive duties haven’t been quite impressive. He has won only 44% of his average tackles, which is not quite assuring for Bilic to throw him against Hazard. The Croatian manager doesn’t have a better option, though.
Andy Carroll vs Garry Cahill
Andy Carroll is just one goal away from his 50th Premier League strike, and it seems like that he has a knack of scoring in London derbies. The English forward has scored five goals in his three home London derbies in the league. His huge frame will surely be creating problems for the Chelsea back line who have found themselves to be weak in the air. Carroll will be up against Garry Cahill. The English should be acquainted with his compatriot well and will be making sure not to give him much space.
Cahill has won 25 tackles this season with a success rate of 53%. He has made 36 interceptions, 118 clearances and 14 blocks. His stats make it 50-50 duel, one that would be cherished by all.
