Premier League Tactical Preview: Carrick v Alli and other key battles

Alex Keble
07 December 2016

Klopp's Liverpool should comfortably beat injury-stricken West Ham

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Alex Keble returns with his regular analysis of four key tactical battles ahead of the weekend action in the Premier League, including why Klopp will target West ham's right flank...

"West Ham will remain overly narrow at Anfield, largely because Klopp's possession-dominant system focuses on congesting the middle of the pitch. However, his players are given complete freedom to improvise in the final third, and one of their key traits is understanding where the space is. Expect Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino to make plenty of runs on the outside of Arbeloa, and expect Adam Lallana to find them over and over."

Liverpool v West Ham

Lallana & Mane v West Ham's right wing
Sunday, 16:30, Live on Sky Sports 1

West Ham's deepening injury crisis means Slaven Bilic will be forced to continue with the disjointed 4-4-1-1 formation used for the majority of the match against Arsenal last weekend. The Hammers are incapable of playing well with a back four this season, and all the usual flaws immediately returned after James Collins limped off the pitch in the eighth minute. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool - who always expose vulnerable spots - will specifically target West Ham's chaotic right flank.

Edimilson Fernandes has a dreadful game in right midfield before being hauled off in the 63rd minute, but a lack of alternatives means he should feature again on Sunday. He failed to make a single tackle and rarely - if ever - tracked back to help Alvaro Arbeloa (whose ageing legs are severely struggling to cope with the speed of the Premier League). The frequency with which Nacho Monreal and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain found space on the outside of West Ham's narrow back four was truly alarming.

West Ham will remain overly narrow at Anfield, largely because Klopp's possession-dominant system focuses on congesting the middle of the pitch. However, his players are given complete freedom to improvise in the final third, and one of their key traits is understanding where the space is. Expect Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino to make plenty of runs on the outside of Arbeloa, and expect Adam Lallana to find them over and over.

Recommended Bet
Back Liverpool to win and over 3.5 goals at 29/20

Arsenal v Stoke City

New & braver Hughes v Old & cagey Hughes
Saturday, 15:00

Stoke City have won 16 points from their last seven league matches, with Mark Hughes becoming the latest Premier League manager to adopt three at the back. His side's full-backs have been in dreadful form all season, and so his switch to a somewhat chaotic 3-4-3 makes a lot of sense; a third centre-back has added much-needed clout while eliminating those troublesome full-back roles. This brave and aggressive formation could work wonders against Arsenal - but will Hughes have the confidence in his team to keep with the system that felled Watford and Burnley?

The best way to stop a Santi Cazorla-less Arsenal is to press hard onto the deep midfield players. Without the Spaniard's intricate vertical passes Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez can easily become isolated; if Stoke press high then they may prevent the Gunners from transitioning quickly and force Ozil to drop into harmless deep positions. A 3-4-3 - focusing on Erik Pieters and Mame Biram Diouf hurtling forward to make a five-man attack - is Stoke's best chance of a positive result.

The key battle is in Hughes' head. Trying to match Arsenal's attacking mentality would be a brave gamble, but represents their most likely route to success. Returning to a lifeless, counter-attacking 4-2-3-1 will surely see Stoke easily picked apart by Sanchez.

Recommended Bet
Back the draw at 15/4

Leicester v Man City

Leicester's flaky midfield v Toure
Saturday, 17:30, Live on Sky Sports 1

Leicester City's 4-4-2 formation simply does not work without N'Golo Kante, and as more and more Premier League managers switch to three at the back Claudio Ranieri is starting to look outdated. Pep Guardiola changes his tactics from game-to-game more than any other manager in the division; he will put all of his energy into working out how to best tear through Leicester's soft middle.

It probably means that Yaya Toure will return to the starting line-up, given that his aggressive and direct style are well suited to storming through under-populated midfields. Flanked by Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne (or David Silva), Toure will have a major impact on this match as Man City cruise to victory.

Danny Drinkwater's absence only adds to the sense that Leicester are doomed here. Guardiola obsesses over how to control the central midfield space, spending months perfecting his players' movements in the half-spaces; this should be the easiest game of their season to date.

Recommended Bet
Back Man City to win at 3/4

Man Utd v Tottenham

Carrick v Alli & Eriksen
Sunday, 14:15, Live on Sky Sports 1

Tottenham Hotspur finally found their rhythm with a 5-0 victory over Swansea City last weekend, and it was an archetypal Mauricio Pochettino performance; Kyle Walker and Danny Rose received long balls into the flanks that stretched Swansea's midfield, so that Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli could flourish together centrally. Manchester United still look a bit flat, and with 35-year-old Michael Carrick at the base of midfield could find themselves outmaneuvered in this area.

There are plenty of key battles ahead of what should be a frantic contest, including how Spurs' advanced full-backs will cope with the United counter-attack, the extent to which Paul Pogba can break past Victor Wanyama, and the physical tussle between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Dier. But unless Carrick can read Alli's and Eriksen's movements - as well as find space to release the ball quickly to initiate United's counters - then none of these battles will be important.

Carrick has added composure to the base of Jose Mourinho's midfield, relieving some of the pressure on Ander Herrera. The Spaniard will need plenty of help from his team-mates in a congested central midfield space; if Carrick is too slow, or if Mourinho plays Pogba alongside Herrera, then Spurs should be able to seize the game.

Recommended Bet
Back both teams to score at 3/4

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