Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United- Three key battles
Tottenham Hotspur are set to play West Ham this weekend as the North Londoners return from the international break. Thomas Frank’s side enjoyed a splendid start in the English top tier this season, but that loss against Bournemouth turned out to be a disappointing result.
The Dane head coach will now be looking to come through with three points from the London stadium as he looks to get the Lilywhites back to winning ways.
And we will take this opportunity to look into the three possible duels that could end up deciding the outcome of the game tomorrow.
West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur: Key Battles
Diouf vs Kudus
Diouf has been looking really fiery in the attacking situations in the early games of the season. But most of his abilities come through on the offensive side of things. But to contain Kudus, he will need to stay locked in positionally at the back. Given how the Ghanaian has that ability to cut inside or go wide makes him unpredictable, and this is where Diouf will need help from Kilman to avoid 1v1s; he is isolated at the back against Kudus.
We know how Kudus likes to skip his man quickly, and if Diouf loses his step in those first steps, then Tottenham can end up having plenty of joy down that flank.
You can expect Thomas Frank to try to test Diouf early in the game, and then how the West Ham full-back handles those first 20 minutes might set the tone for the rest of the game.
Bowen vs Spence
But there is also another fullback against the wing duel on the other side. This is surrounding West Ham main man Jarrod Bowen, who is in form and full of confidence, given he found himself on the score sheet last time. He is possibly the Hammers’ most reliable threat up front.
Bowen is direct and makes smart runs off the ball. And this is likely where Spence has a huge task ahead of him.
Bowen is a smart player, and he will constantly be drifting inside looking for that half-space between Micky van de Ven and Spence.
We know how Spence is athletic and has that defensive ability, but this one calls for him to be mature. He needs to read the game well and make sure that he doesn’t let Bowen run riot.
Paqueta vs Palhinha
While we are focusing out wide, there is a massive midfield war in there as well. West Ham have Paqueta, who thrives on chaos, and he wants to be everywhere. The Brazilian likes to float between the lines while threading passes to revolve the play. But he has Palhinha against him at the base of the Lilywhites’ midfield. The former Fulham midfielder is known to have that capacity to disrupt rhythm, and that is exactly where Frank needs him against the Hammers.
The 30-year-old is not flashy, but his anticipation and ball-winning capacity make him crucial in that second phase for the North Londoners.
And this will be an important duel in the middle of the park. And if Palhinha pins Paqueta early in the game, the North Londoners will feel more in control. But if the Brazilian starts finding pockets and connecting with the likes of Fernandes or Bowen on either side, then West Ham will start gaining momentum offensively (much like what they did in their 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest).
