Everton vs West Ham Match Preview

The arrival of Manuel Pellegrini was supposed to usher in a new era at West Ham United, one where the east London side would finally realise their potential as a leviathan and begin climbing the ranks of the Premier League.

However, four games into the season and the new era is looking more like a dreadful saddening story. The Irons are the only team in the top flight without a point, having shipped 10 goals in their defeats. With Pellegrini came an aggressive spending spree in the summer transfer window as 11 new players arrived with a cumulative cost of nearly £100 million. The results, though, have been uneven at best as Pellegrini has struggled to find his best four at the back and the midfield of newcomer Jack Wilshere and holdover Mark Noble have failed to influence matches offensively. West Ham went into the break on a 1-0 loss to new boys Wolverhampton, and the hope is the time off has cleared everyone's heads and the Irons can reboot themselves for this stretch of games to get off the foot of the table.

Everton are not without their troubles both on and off the pitch, but the bigger worry for gaffer Marco Silva heading into this contest is the staggering amount of first-team players unavailable for this contest. At the top of the list is star winger Richarlison, who will complete his three-match ban for a red card following his headbutt of Bournemouth's Adam Smith on Aug. 25. Defender Michael Keane is sidelined with a small fracture of his skull suffered in that 2-2 draw, and right back Seamus Coleman is out indefinitely after breaking his right foot while on international duty with Ireland. The off-the-pitch problems continue to swirl around Everton's full-court press to prise Silva from Watford after they fired Ronald Koeman last term, with an independent inquiry to determine if Everton were "tapping up" Silva now underway. The two clubs have been embroiled in a bitter dispute for nearly a year when Everton made repeated offers to give him the job last November, with Watford's ire rising with each offer they had to spurn. It will be interesting to see how Marco Silva lines up against a dead-spirit West Ham.

TACTICAL BREAKDOWN:

WEST HAM UNITED:

Jack Wilshere will miss the match after picking up an ankle problem in training. Striker Javier Hernandez has a virus so will also miss the Goodison Park clash, while Andy Carroll, Manuel Lanzini and Winston Reid remain long-term absentees. Major concern for West Ham is finding a secondary scoring source beyond Mark Arnautovic, who has scored both of West Ham's league goals and only one in the run of play through 360 minutes. Who lines up with Arnautovic in that starting XI has become a puzzling source of frustration to the Chilean. The new signings Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson have done well but are still far from top notch. The Clarets will go with a 4-2-3-1 formation, making it dense and compact in the middle.  The squad is in an feeble state of mind and a win or a draw will do loads to boost their spirits. Pellegrini’s teams usually play possession based football and attack through the flanks. West Ham have respectable wingers who can missile crosses into the box.

EVERTON:

Everton’s injury list is never ending. Micheal Keane, Seamus Coleman are out of the tie. Centre back Phil Jagielka and midfielder Andre Gomes are also not expected to be available due to injuries and holding midfielder Idrissa Gueye is likely a match-time decision due to a knee injury. Defender Yerry Mina trained with the squad for the first time since his £28million summer move from Barcelona after recovering from a foot injury while midfielder James McCarthy has also returned after breaking his leg in January, but neither are expected to play a part in the game. Marco Silva has promised that Everton will become a high pressing side under his tutelage. Somehow this plan has given good results on the attacking front but has left cavities at the back. Everton need to find the right rhythm for when to press and when to sit back. The pace of Walcott and Bernard will provide the necessary thrust through the wings. The energy of Gueye and Sigurdsson in the middle can charge the entire Everton midfield. 

VERDICT:

The pressure is well and truly on Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham as they face a tough trip to Everton after a disastrous start to the Premier League season. After evaluating every situation on and off the pitch, it feels this will be a closely contested affair rather than a one-sided hammering. Everton are still short of key players which will prove to be significant loss. West Ham need to catch a break soon and injuries to Toffees could provide that. If West Ham fail at the Goodison Park they would land themselves in deep troubles. Despite that, a sense of resurrection has begun in the West ham camp and they could upset the Toffee supporters. We are backing the Clarets to edge what could be an entertaining but scrappy clash at Goodison.

 

PREDICTED SCORELINE: EVERTON 1- 2 WEST HAM UNITED