West Ham United all of a sudden seem to be a far more cohesive unit, and have won three consecutive games.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic gestures
Speaking at his pre-match press-conference, Hammers boss Slaven Bilic highlighted the importance of his players positional awareness and movement when implementing his new system, as quoted by Sky Sports.
The East London outfit began their campaign in dreadful fashion, but a mini resurgence has seen them string together three consecutive victories in all competitions, and Sunday’s game at Everton presents them with an opportunity to climb even further up the Premier League table.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
Ahead of his side’s game, Bilic explained to reporters how his new system, where three centre-halves are deployed, is heavily reliant on player movement and individual effort, as quoted by Sky Sports:
“We changed the system a bit. Okay, it’s important, especially when the results come, but it’s more about the players’ movement. Kouyate helped to stabilise the defence and also helps us to create from the back.”
With Kouyate at the back, the Hammers’ ball retention certainly improved, and it will be interesting to see if Bilic persists with the new-found formation when his side visit Goodison Park.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
With the threat posed by Romelu Lukaku, West Ham will definitely have to be water-tight at the back, but the problem in playing three-centre backs when the opposition are only playing one striker, is that whilst one defender marks the sole forward, the other two centre-halves can easily drift out the game and get caught out by not picking up the midfielders making runs from deep.
It will be a fascinating encounter, nevertheless, and is usually a fixture that encapsulates all that is good about the Premier League.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic before the match
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