Note from Iain: This is Zaman Siddiqui’s first post for the site. He will be writing a regular Sunday column. Please make him welcome
Glancing at the fixture list before the start of the season, not many would’ve backed us to finish within the top half after six games. The highest position we can finish at the end of Week 6 is 2nd, whilst the lowest position we can end in is 4th. Slaven Bilic will be most pleased with the stunning away victories, not least because no team in the last ten years has won at the Emirates, Anfield and Etihad in the same season. What will stun most is that the only two goals conceded by Manchester City this season have been scored by us. It’s safe to say that not many could have expected City to go under the Hammer: most bookmakers were very optimistic the Citizens would win this match comfortably. We have broken so many records recently that I can almost envisage David Gold do a Delia Smith next week against the Canaries.
There were some similarities that were playing on my mind before the match between this evening’s match and the one played at Upton Park in October. Firstly, Manchester City had to play midweek against CSKA Moscow – they drew 2-2. This meant that City were mentally fatigued, as they didn’t get an expected win, and had another match short after. This gave us a psychological boost, as we didn’t expect City to be on top form. We ended up as the victors that day with a 2-1 victory. The Sky Blues lost to Juventus 2-1 midweek, much to City’s dismay, given their fabulous league record. A small air of confidence, a feeling of debonair if you will, must have been throughout the West Ham camp, though we know we can’t rest on our laurels. Secondly, we won our last two games before playing City winning a third, so form was building. Likewise, our form has been strong winning our previous two matches against Liverpool and Newcastle. We needed sheer determination and enthusiasm within our squad if we were to win. Thankfully, we only needed to look back at our matches this season under Bilic to find a source of inspiration. Even as I write, I have a feeling we will be high-flyers for at least the first half of the season.
Both clubs have spent quite a lot of money by their standards to try and reach their targets. City have bought the two most expensive players who are currently playing in the BPL (Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling), as well as the two most expensive CB’s in Otamendi and Mangala. The squad rotation they have is amongst the best in the league with quality and quantity. The term “Squad Rotation” didn’t have much meaning in the Sam Allardyce era (unless you remember that 5-0 thrashing against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup with those youngsters). With the acquisitions of Obiang, Payet, Ogbonna, Lanzini, and the foursome we signed on Deadline Day which had Jim White in hysterics as ever, we can alter our style of play to be able to deal with injuries more proficiently. The recruitment as ever has been amazing this season. Bilic didn’t think we would have been able to sign Payet, not to mention Lanzini and Obiang who are 22 and 23 respectively with bags of potential.
Going into the match, Payet was unsurprisingly the 5th best in the league, with Kouyate in second position for the club according to the BPL Player Performance Index. A Kouyate injury was most unwelcome news considering we have never won at the Ethiad Stadium in the Premier League. The Senegalese midfielder was allegedly approached with a £15M bid from Daniel Levy after missing out on Victor Wanyama. Obiang was a good replacement for him. David Silva injured himself during warm-up, which prompted the return of Jesús Navas back in. This was one of the reasons why the Citizens weren’t able to perform at their best: Navas was the worst player in the box, failing to create any good chances. Silva scored a wonderful goal in the box last season turning and scoring from a fairly tight angle back at Upton Park. His inclusion ensured an easier match. Nonetheless, nothing better than our best would have won us the game this evening. Having Adrián back in the squad was of massive importance, as City were bound to score and get a few one-on-one’s which he dealt with like a fierce lion. All the plaudits shouldn’t go the Spaniard, as Reid kept a solid line of defence. There were a few fortunate ricochets and admirable clearances which slowed Man City down to regroup. The pick of the lot was a one-handed punch away from Adrián in the dying embers of the game. Pellegrini said his side played “too fast” at times. He is not wrong: City had by far most of the possession. They should have utilised it much better. Our 4 wins have come in the matches with very little possession.