Tag Archives: Sofiane Feghouli

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for West Ham United’s home clash versus Manchester United in the Premier League:

West Ham United

Darren Randolph – 6.5

Came up with an important reflex save to deny Antonio Valencia a simple tap-in, with the Irish goalkeeper left with little to work with in denying the visitors’ two goals.

Håvard Nordtveit – 4.5

The weak link in West Ham’s defence, adapted at right back and fully exposed by Marcus Rashford’s entrance in the second half.

Winston Reid – 6

Kept the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic as quiet as possible throughout much of the game, eventually falling foul to an offside goal by the Swede.

Angelo Ogbonna – 6

Much like Reid, Ogbonna kept things tight as best as he could in what seemed to be an inclined pitch following Sofiane Feghouli’s early red card.

Aaron Cresswell – 5

Due to obvious circumstances, we didn’t see the ex-Ipswich Town full back bomb up and down the left flank as often as he would’ve hoped, taking away a key outlet in the Hammers’ attack.

Cheikhou Kouyaté – 5.5

Closed many avenues centrally but also tired substantially as the game went on, allowing for greater dominance by United.

Pedro Obiang – 6

Among the best in a West Ham shirt, evading the bodies situated in the middle of the park to set counters with the ball in his possession, but like his midfield counterpart, Kouyaté, Obiang appeared visibly fatigued in the latter stages of the game.

Sofiane Feghouli – N/A

In his first start for the London club, the former Valencia wide man was sent off rather controversially after just 15 minutes of football.

Manuel Lanzini – 6.5

The key threat going forward, somewhat muted following Feghouli’s red card.

Dimitri Payet – 5.5

Looked sharp in the early exchanges, but he also shrunk in size and effectiveness after Mike Dean’s controversial decision in the game’s infancy.

Michail Antonio – 4

The West Ham top scorer spurned a great chance one-on-one to give the hosts the lead and United weren’t so merciful soon after at the opposite end.

Subs:

Andy Carroll – 4.5

Came on in response to United taking the lead, but the man most likely to find him inside the box turned out to be the player he replaced – Payet. A missed opportunity from Slaven Bilić, rather than anyone else.

Edimilson Fernandes – N/A

Manchester United:

David De Gea – 7

As reliable as ever, De Gea came up with two big saves to deny Lanzini and Antonio a goal either side of the half time interval.

Antonio Valencia – 5.5

Arguably should’ve scored from close range, didn’t, but there’ll be few complaints from a defensive perspective, which is never a bad thing.

Phil Jones – 6

Another clean sheet for the file, strengthening the defender’s case to enter the defensive equation definitively in the José Mourinho era.

Marcos Rojo – 6

Started the game at centre back, ended it at left back. Solid, once again, in both positions, as his versatility begins to prove fruitful.

Matteo Darmian – 5

Victim of a tactical shift at half-time that saw Juan Mata replace him against 10-man West Ham. A solid, if insignificant, first-half performance by the Italian.

Michael Carrick – 6.5

Very sound in conducting United’s search for a goal, keeping them composed, as they eventually broke through the Hammers’ barricade.

Ander Herrera – 6.5

Typically kept play ticking, pressed high to retain possession and provided a threat late in the second half, as the game opened up. Good again from the Spaniard.

Paul Pogba – 6.5

In the same boat as Herrera, the multi-million pound man grew as the game went on, going close to goal himself a couple of times in the second period.

Jesse Lingard – 4

Hit the post from just yards out in United’s clearest goal-scoring opportunity in the first period, as the 24-year-old failed to inflict damage upon a compact West Ham side prior to be replaced by Marcus Rashford.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 5

Not his finest performance of late, with space to operate in proving to be limited.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 5

Starved of service for the best part, but Ibrahimovic still managed to add a goal to his name, despite being in an offside position.

Subs:

Juan Mata – 6.5

The goal scorer of yet another crucial goal for the Red Devils, as he tipped the balance once more in United’s favour.

Marcus Rashford – 7

The key to unlocking the game, Rashford was able to cause disruptions down the left flank and, crucially, assist Mata for the game’s opening goal.

Chris Smalling – N/A

Chelsea’s new boss Antonio Conte enters the Premier League scene under somewhat of a baptism of fire, hosting West Ham United in a London derby on Monday night.

The former Juventus manager can take confidence away from the fact that the Hammers haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since September 2002, whereas West Ham are unbeaten under Slaven Bilić versus the Blues after last season’s results. Here are three key battles to look out for as two London heavyweights come head-to-head:

1 – Gary Cahill vs. Andy Carroll

There’s a lot riding on big Andy Carroll come Monday night, with the English striker scoring twice in the two games against Chelsea in the 2015/16 season.

Carroll also comes into the clash on good form, hitting a brace versus Juventus in their opening ceremony of the Olympic Stadium, which spells danger for the likes of Gary Cahill and John Terry.

Of the two English centre backs, the ex-Bolton Wanderers man has often appeared as the weakest link in the past couple of seasons and remains the most likely defender to drop out of the Chelsea XI should they land someone like Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.

It’s plausible that Carroll, often targeting spaces between centre backs and full backs from crosses, will opt to fall on Cahill’s side rather than the aerially accomplished Terry.

A lot has been made of Ola Aina potentially dethroning Branislav Ivanović at right back, but with the threat posed by Carroll, the Serbian’s presence should aid Cahill.

It’s with lofty ambitions that West Ham United attack the 2016/17 season. A 6th place finish in the campaign just gone sees Europa League football pending for the Hammers, meanwhile the transfer window supplies a few more Dimitri Payet-esque signings for West Ham to parade around the new surroundings of the Olympic Stadium. Here’s how they could line up:

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Back five: Adrián; Sam Byram, Winston Reid, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell*

Perhaps the greatest blemish in one of West Ham’s finest seasons for decades was the amount of goals shipped in throughout their league campaign. Conceding 51 times in their 38 games, the Irons’ defence leaked in at least 10 more goals than those directly above them in the table.

With the partnership between Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna growing stronger and the injured Aaron Cresswell excelling at left back, the most flagrant reason for West Ham’s defensive shortcomings points towards the vacancy left at right back by Carl Jenkinson’s lengthy injury last season. West Ham boss Slaven Bilić turned to backup centre back James Tomkins, now at Crystal Palace, to occasionally fill in the gaps, as well as January signing Sam Byram and, eventually, Michail Antonio.

Although Byram’s performances proved to be satisfactory when called upon, the 22-year-old’s arrival mid-season complicated his trajectory to the starting line-up. With a full season now ahead of him, the hope is that Byram will now undergo a smoother transition into the first XI, which should in turn see him stand as the preferred option at right back over the adapted Antonio.

Cresswell is widely expected to return to the first team once fit, but the Hammers will be keen to make amends for his four-month lay-off with an additional signing at left back, meanwhile further depth at right back is sure to be recommended in order to avoid the back four inconsistencies experienced last season.