West Ham United will look to boost their Premier League survival chances when they face fellow strugglers Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, on the back of a 4-1 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield last weekend.
The Irons started the day four points above the relegation zone but their heavy loss – coupled with other results – mean that they are just three points clear the 18th-placed Swans going into the big clash in south Wales on Saturday.
David Moyes’ side were already trailing 3-0 on Merseyside when Michail Antonio scored straight after coming off of the substitutes’ bench in the 59th minute, but Sadio Mane added a fourth later in the second half to round off a resounding victory.
It was a tough day at the office for the east London outfit and it certainly won’t be an easy task against Carlos Carvalhal’s men, who have won their last six matches in all competitions on their own turf.
The Hammers’ form on the road isn’t great, and while only six teams have bettered their record of 19 goals on their travels, only Stoke City have let in as many (33) as they have, with just two wins on the road all season.
Moyes will be considering making some changes to the XI that were beaten by Liverpool given a number of players produced below-par showings, and the Scot will regret if he fails to make a couple of alterations.
Here are two big changes the 54-year-old must make to his West Ham side when they face Swansea…
Michail Antonio for Patrice Evra
Moyes chose to line up with a 3-4-2-1 system against Liverpool, but it didn’t really work out as they struggled all over the pitch.
The Scot may well be considering changing formation for a match they can’t afford to lose – and will ideally win – against Swansea, and while Evra wasn’t the worst West Ham player on the pitch at Anfield, he should be the one sacrificed if Moyes switches to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system.
Antonio came off of the substitutes’ bench and almost instantly found the net against the Reds last weekend, and his strength and directness could be a key factor in helping the Irons pick up a positive result against their relegation rivals, and he should come back into the team on the right-hand side as a result.
Javier Hernandez for Joao Mario
Hernandez was left on the substitutes’ bench for the defeat against Liverpool despite scoring three times in his previous four Premier League appearances, with Manuel Lanzini coming straight back into the XI having recovered from injury.
It is a decision that Moyes probably regrets in hindsight given the Argentine struggled before being taken off in the 58th minute, and Hernandez simply has to start against Swansea because of the goal threat he brings and the form he is currently in.
With Antonio coming in on the right and the undroppable Arnautovic moving to the left, that leaves Moyes with a choice between Lanzini and Joao Mario in the middle.
While the latter has done well since he joined the club during the January transfer window he is yet to really excel, and he should be the man to drop out if Lanzini is fully fit to start again given the impressive link up he was having with Arnautovic prior to the duo picking up hamstring injuries.
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