Chelsea visit the Boleyn Ground, still trying to wrestle their season back into shape. The Hammers, irrepressible on the road, face a daunting task at home.
If, at the beginning of the season, you had asked for a show of hands of who would have anticipated West Ham to be a firm 6 points ahead of Chelsea heading into this clash, with more goals scored and fewer conceded, the only hands counted would have poked out of the windows of the local madhouse. Chelsea’s decline this season was immediate, and immediately baffling, and it found its nadir when they were soundly smashed by Southampton at home. Since then they’ve improved, keeping two clean sheets, even if one of those was a 0-0 draw with Dynamo Kiev. There is, however, still evidence of some troubling issues at Stamford Bridge; following the loss to Saints, Eden Hazard was benched for Chelsea’s next game, a win over Aston Villa. There are still some abrasive questions to be answered concerning Jose Mourinho’s relationship with John Terry. And then there are the players whose form has disappeared so instantly, only a mental burden can be blamed for it; Nemanja Matic, Branislav Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas: these players are not tired, at least not physically.
Still, Chelsea remain a formidable team, wholly capable of beating a West Ham side that has more often looked flimsy than sturdy at home. This certainly is a rollicking ride that Slaven Bilic is taking the West Ham fans on in this maiden season of his, and a point or three gained this weekend will only sweeten it further. West Ham were highly impressive in their defeat of Crystal Palace last weekend, needling their way through what was, by the end, a Palace defence staunchly packed in front of their box. One anticipates, as they did against Newcastle, that West Ham will play this match as if it were at Stamford Bridge, allowing Chelsea the ball, and looking to break at speed.
Key Battle: Dimitri Payet vs Nemanja Matic
Matic, the most effective defensive midfielder in the league last season, has so far this season appeared crumbly, fretful and listless. His manager has noticed, as we all have, and spoke on the subject before his teams Champions league fixture:
“I try to make him [Matic] choose the decisions where it’s more difficult to make a mistake,” he said. “If you want to dribble, if you want to put the ball through the legs of the opponent, if you want to make a beautiful pass like you sometimes do, looking to one side and putting [the ball the other] … these are the things that you do only when the confidence levels are high. When you are a little bit fragile, keep it simple. Think quick, make the right decision, take the ball out of the pressure zone. Don’t be worried about making a beautiful pass. Just make sure you don’t lose the ball because, if you lose the ball, you lose confidence.”
It is very easy to say, isn’t it, “make the right decision”. The trouble is, in the heat of the maw that is a Premier League midfield battle, clarity is hard to come by. Matic was solid against Kiev, while not being especially dominant. He had a tough assignment in marshaling Andriy Yarmolenko, and against West Ham’s own creative fulcrum, Dimitri Payet, the arduous assignments continue. Payet scored a silken chip last weekend, the gloss on the 3-1 win over Palace, and had looked rather splendid for most of the match. He has created more chances than any other player in Europe so far this season, 35, if Opta’s stats are to be trusted. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, he did much the same thing last season.
If, as is suspected, West Ham try and play on the break, Matic will likely be part of that first vital line of defence. Passes out to Payet – as well as Manuel Lanzini – are what sustain West Ham’s counter attack, and if they’re allowed time and space to turn, they can slaughter you. Mourinho is trying the coax Matic out of his slump; a good performance against Payet will give him a mighty shove in the right direction.
Team News and Expected Lineups
West Ham will probably again be without their Kiwi stalwart Winston Reid, but James Collins is an able, if rather less mobile, back up. Other than Reid, Bilic has the same group that he’s had for the last handful of weeks to pick from. One suspects that a near identical line up to the one that beat Palace will appear this weekend.
Chelsea will again have to deal with the absence of Branislav Ivanovic, which, considering his form, shouldn’t be much of a task. Abdul Baba Rahman could well start at left back. Pedro is also injured, so Hazard and Willian will start, and Oscar will probably join them behind Diego Costa. Naturally, Asmir Begovic will be in goal, with Thibaut Courtois still recovering from surgery.
Head-to-Head and Previous Meeting
West Ham have won only one of their last 19 fixtures with Chelsea. But, with Chelsea still yet to fully heave themselves out of their current quagmire, there is no better time to snatch what would be only their second victory over the Blues since 2004. The last match between these two clubs ended in a 1-0 win for Chelsea, at Upton Park. Expect more goals this time around.
Prediction
Chelsea will win this match, although this won’t be a third clean sheet in a row. 2-1 to the Blues.
