Why Huddersfield’s Wagner could be great Bilic alternative at West Ham

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David Wagner has shown the tactical flair at Huddersfield to suggest he could be the ideal replacement for Slaven Bilic at West Ham.

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic tries to rally the troops during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.

With speculation increasing that Slaven Bilic will be sacked as West Ham United manager, the Huddersfield Examiner reports that Huddersfield Town’s David Wagner has emerged as the favourite to replace him.

The Hammers’ 3-2 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend was their fourth defeat in six Premier League matches so far this season, with their only victory coming against the Terriers.

Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur scores his side’s third goal during the Premier League match against West Ham United.

Yet despite that 2-0 defeat in front of the West Ham hierarchy at the London Stadium, they are still believed to be impressed with what Wagner has achieved since becoming Huddersfield boss in 2015.

In his first senior job in management having spent four years as Borussia Dortmund II chief under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp, the 45-year-old guided the Yorkshire club to promotion from the Championship via the playoffs despite the Mirror reporting they were 40/1 outsiders at the start of the 2016/17 campaign.

The former United States international did this in the gegenpressing mould that was also seen under Klopp at Dortmund and now Liverpool – a style that is exciting but can leave the defence exposed, as shown by the fact that Wagner’s men were the first team to be promoted with a negative goal difference.

David Wagner, manager of Huddersfield Town, looks on during the Premier League match against Burnley.

Once in the English top flight the ex-striker appreciated his side needed to be more defensively sound and his tactics changed accordingly, with the 0-0 draw against Burnley at the weekend their fourth clean-sheet in six league outings so far. Only top two sides Manchester City and Manchester United have conceded fewer than the Terriers’ three goals.

This has not taken away from Wagner’s desire to play fast-paced, passing football, however, and simply highlights the tactical awareness of the coach – something that has not been said much about Bilic.

The Croatian often seems lost when it comes to finding the best style and formation for his team, despite the fact they added £48.7m (Telegraph) of new talent to the squad this summer alone.

Wagner has got the very best and more out of his relatively modest resources at the John Smith’s Stadium, so imagine what he could achieve with the likes of Michail Antonio, Javier Hernandez and Manuel Lanzini at his disposal.