West Ham United have had a poor run of results since their commendable win against Arsenal in mid-January, and have another difficult game against Liverpool on Monday.
The Hammers have had a heap of injuries this season which has resulted in inconsistent form, but they still have a good enough team to trouble Liverpool who haven’t been at their best this year so far.
Jurgen Klopp’s side dropped points against Leicester City on Wednesday, and were tested by Crystal Palace last weekend as well before they emerged 4-3 winners.
Here are three ways how West Ham can trouble Liverpool and perhaps beat them on Monday.
#3 Keep Roberto Firmino in check
Firmino might not have scored a lot this season for the Reds, but he is crucial to the system as he interlinks play better than most strikers in the Premier League.
The Brazilian tends to drop deep and bring the wingers into play, and he can pass to split open a defence as well, so he is a threat that many teams often forget about while thinking of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
The duo of Mark Noble and Declan Rice are likely to have more work than the centre-half duo because of Firmino’s movement, so it’s imperative they press the former Hoffenheim man when he gets the ball, and give him as little time on the ball as possible.
#2 Bring Andy Carroll into the game
Liverpool’s defence hasn’t been the same after Joe Gomez’s injury as Virgil van Dijk’s partnership with Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren isn’t as strong as the one the Dutchman had with the England international.
Considering Marko Arnautovic might miss the game due to an ankle injury, Carroll seems like the player who can trouble the Liverpool centre-half duo with his aerial prowess.
Like Palace showed nearly a fortnight ago, if you can get past the full-backs, you can test the Liverpool defence.
In Felipe Anderson and Robert Snodgrass, the Hammers have two players who have pace and can put in a dangerous delivery from the wide areas.
#1 Isolate James Milner
Milner struggled to cope with Wilfried Zaha when Liverpool took on Palace and was eventually sent off for a late tackle. Anderson is perhaps a better version of Zaha and if the Brazilian is in his elements, Milner might have a hard time once again.
The former England international no longer has the pace, and he often makes the forward forays, leaving space in behind.
Anderson and Cresswell need to make the make the best use of their chance when they take on a makeshift right-back come Monday.
