EPL Tactical Analysis – West Ham United 1 Leicester City 2

West Ham hosted Leicester City overnight, a week after both teams registered highly impressive opening week victories. A frenzied battle followed, with the Foxes just edging a 2-1 victory, though some questionable refereeing was also the cause for much hand-wringing around East London.

With the Hammers allowed the space and possession to control the match from the outset, they were in a very different position to the one that proved successful against Arsenal. Leicester were locked and loaded to explode out on the break, and they shocked the home side, scoring two razor sharp first-half goals in exactly that fashion. Both were breathless counter-attacks, begun and finished in the blink of an eye. Dimitri Payet, far and away West Ham’s best player, pulled a goal back early in the second-half, but his side were unable to break through a canny and obdurate defence who, as soon as their lead was pegged back, began running down the clock.

The performance by referee Anthony Taylor was also a source for much local chagrin, with a clear West Ham penalty denied in the first-half, and for his decision to send off goalkeeper Adrian for a mistimed attempt at a falling ball in the closing moments, Whether or not the Spaniard’s play was, as per the FIFA laws relating to types of fouls, ‘reckless’ – which garners yellow card – or ‘excessive’ – a red – is debatable.

Formations

West Ham starting XI: Adrian; Jenkinson, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Oxford; Kouyate, Noble (c), Payet; Sakho, Zarate

Substitutes: Randolph, Nolan, Tomkins, Jarvis, Obiang, Maiga, Lanzini.

The only change for West Ham was Carl Jenkinson coming in for James Tomkins, with Bilic keeping what was a highly successful formula against Arsenal largely intact. 16-year-old Reece Oxford started his second consecutive league match, and was given a raucous cheer by the home crowd, just before their famous ‘bubbles’ began.

Leicester City starting XI: Schmeichel; De Laet, Huth, Morgan, Schlupp; Albrighton, Drinkwater, King; Mahrez, Okazaki, Vardy.

Subs: Hammond, Kante, Kramaric, Ulloa, Fuchs, Benalouane, Maddison.

‘The Tinkerman’, or so Ranieri is called, named an unchanged team from the side that beat Sunderland. Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki started up front, and last week’s two-goal hero Mahrez began on the wing.

Both of West Ham’s full backs spent the match pushing very high up

The ever-expanding attacking duties of fullbacks, and the ever-growing importance of dominating the central-corridor of the pitch compelled Bilic to play this tight midfield diamond. Mark Noble and Oxford often acted as de-facto fullbacks, allowing the actual defenders to push higher-up while West Ham shuffled the ball around the back. Kouyate’s role in this, it appeared, was to surge through the middle, and he attempted to fly in on a number of crosses from Cresswell in the first-half. Essentially, this is the way the team played their best football last season, but here a dearth of quality finishing in the middle, mixed in with some less-than-stellar deliveries from the fullbacks, particularly Carl Jenkinson, meant West Ham found it difficult to prosper in this match.

Oxford’s bitter second bite at the big time

Placed as he was at the base of West Ham’s midfield diamond, Oxford was filling a crucial position. Against Arsenal, his duties were wholly defensive, with Zarate and Payet taking up much of the responsibility at the pointy end. But against Leicester, who themselves looked to profit on the counter, Oxford was much more involved in attacking build-up play. His half-time substitution spoke more about how his day went than his stats can, but they are important in determining whether the youngster can play with consistency.

Zero shots, zero key passes, 75% pass accuracy, 33% of his duels won, all in 45 minutes. He was probably the most at fault for the second goal, with Mahrez slotting home from a pocket of space that he, the defensive shield, had allowed himself to wander out of. He is a centre-back by trade, and took up a position that probably felt most natural. He is still, let us not forget, only 16.

Leicester’s high intensity striker duo took it to West Ham

Early on, Vardy was seen running down a regulation back pass, flying in feverishly with studs upturned and earnithe Leicester forward a booking. Then, he harried off down the wing, running away from all of his team mates, eventually taking the ball over the sideline. His third foray was rather more productive; a flying counter-attack down the left, just as Leicester had turned back the initial West Ham surges. He clipped the ball into the equally onrushing Okazaki, whose initial shot was saved, but who then turned the rebound home with his head. The whole scene was a picture-perfect example of the sort of frenetic intensity Leicester look to play with, and, thankfully for the Foxes, Okazaki and Vardy are exactly the sort of tireless, scurrying players you need to play this sort of style. To accommodate for your teams’ strengths seems an obvious thing for a manager to do, but if it involves ignoring last season’s top goalscorer (Leo Ulloa) then Ranieri deserves a little more credit than normal for doing it.

West Ham’s defence looking far less certain when given less time to set

The concession of the second goal, one that really landed a hammer blow to the tender midsection of this West Ham team, was dispatched by Mahrez from a privileged pocket of space inside the box. In front of him were four West Ham players, all having been swept in forward goal by the Marc Albrighton drive toward the byline. From Albrighton’s cutback, Mahrez was found alone and with more than enough time to curl home. Positionally, the whole back line was out of step, as if the regulation counter-attack had totally thrown them. Playing at home, against opposition looking to score on the break, a team has to prepare for these types of situations. Against Arsenal, with their considered build-up play and endless passing around the box, West Ham had time to set themselves. Here, with the direct, breathless approach that Leicester took, they looked far less convincing defensively.

Conclusion

Leicester played with more urgency, and finished their chances with a brazen cutting edge. They deservedly won, continuing their unbeaten start under Claudio Ranieri. Slaven Bilic and West Ham were left gritting their teeth over Anthony Taylor’s refereeing, but, in truth, their attacking play was shoddy, and their defending was scrambled. The Foxes, if they can maintain this bull-rushing style, look set to rudely take it to a lot of teams this season.