week two preview West Ham

By: j | August 23rd, 2008

This is an interesting match for me personally to watch as I appreciate the work of West Ham’s Alan Curbishley and feel he has consistently done commendable work in his career, often in extremely difficult situations that are rarely noted in the media. His tactical guile and flexibility in attacking styles always bring out the best of his resources and if ever given the budget (or an international assignment, ahem) there is no telling what he could do. Equally he has a solid touch with developing players and as an example, his work with one of England’s great young strikers, Freddie Sears, as been nothing short of brilliant. Simply stated, I think greatly of the man and always pay careful attention to his clubs and the tactics he employs.

Football pundits were expecting West Ham to stumble and bumble its way out of the gate and lo’ and behold, The Hammers defeated Wigan 2-1 on the strength of Dean Ashton’s brace and well-scripted early attack. However for City today, Dean Ashton and midfielder Scott Parker are both facing pre-match fitness tests while Anton Ferdinand and Wales international Craig Bellamy are definitely out. Should Dean Aston not be ready, the highly energetic Freddie Sears is likely to penciled into the starting grid and we’re all in for a treat of the future of English Football (presumably someone actually lets the young talented players in English to actually get called-up instead of the Masters club that jogs around Wembley). Veteran Luís Boa Morte will get the nod if Scott Parker can’t make the call and can be more than a handful with his aggressive and tenacious play.

Man City is heading into the match with a breath of fresh air by the name of Vincent Kompany and Mark Hughes must be in glee thinking of him in central defense with Micah Richards. It is still unclear whether he is in the lineup and if not, Tal Ben-Haim will fill-in once again. City will be without Darius Vassell, Valeri Bojinov and Benjani who are all out with long-term injuries as well as Jô who hasn’t returned from the Olympics. Richard Dunne is equally out, serving suspension. With a very young striking group of Ched Evans and Daniel Sturridge in the attack, the always brilliant Bulgarian international Martin Petrov plays a critical role in launching the City attack. This certainly will be factored into Alan Curbishley’s analysis and will make for some very interesting tactics. I won’t be surprised if both clubs stack and pack the midfield in a 4-5-1, employing a lone striker.

I will provide a full report on the match upon its conclusion.