There’s nothing quite like floodlight football in the Premier League and we’re in store for two instalments this week.
Indeed, Bournemouth face Southampton in the South Coast derby on Tuesday night whilst Capital One Cup finalists Liverpool and Manchester City face each other for the second time in just a matter of days on Wednesday.
But Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to West Ham remains arguably the pick of the fixtures. There’s no love lost between the two London rivals, who employ similar styles of industrious yet adventurous football and are both performing above expectations in the Premier League this season.
The Lilywhites probably go into this one as the favourites; they’re currently second in the table, enjoying a six-game winning run in the Premier League, and beat the Hammers 4-1 at White Hart Lane back in November. But the Hammers boast the home advantage and the better record in recent encounters, claiming three wins and one draw from their last six meetings with the north London side.
So Wednesday’s match could well hinge on which side dominates the key individual battles and with that in mind, here are the FOUR Football Fancast view as the most important.
DIMITRI PAYET VS ERIC DIER
The protection Eric Dier offers in front of the back four has been a pivotal influence on Spurs’ impeccable defensive record this season, conceding the fewest goals – just 21 – of any Premier League side.
The England international operates almost as a third centre-back, providing added height, defensive awareness and aerial dominance, but now faces one of the toughest tests for any Premier League enforcer in West Ham talisman Dimitri Payet.
The French maestro has been deployed as a wide man, a central midfielder and No.10 this season and it remains to be seen where he’ll start on Wednesday night. Nonetheless, the playmaker’s fundamental task remains the same – exploiting the hole between the opposing midfield and defence.
He’s claimed seven goals and five assists from 20 Premier League appearances so far this term and will be desperate to impact after missing the Hammers’ 4-1 defeat to Spurs earlier in the season.
HARRY KANE VS ANGELO OGBONNA
Only Jamie Vardy has bettered Harry Kane’s return of 16 goals in 27 Premier League appearances this season. The Tottenham Hotspur front-man is one of the most complete centre-forwards in the division, offering aerial threat, work-rate, consistent link-up play and formidable netting prowess, and in the absence of a dependable understudy remains vital to Spurs’ title chances.
The 22-year-old netted twice past the Hammers in November and will be keen to find another brace on Wednesday night after claiming just one goal in his last five outings across all competitions – coming in that vital 2-1 win over Manchester City.
But summer signing Angelo Ogbonna has added real top-class quality and experience to the heart of West Ham’s defence, arriving from Juventus where he’d previously claimed two Serie A titles, and offers imposing physicality that Kane may struggle to effectively circumvent.
All but one of the Hammers’ nine clean sheets have come with the Italian in the starting Xi this term, which shows how important a player he’s become for the north London side.
MICHAIL ANTONIO VS DANNY ROSE
Both players found the net last weekend and both have proved increasingly important to their respective sides as the season’s gone on.
Indeed, Michail Antonio has provided the Hammers with width, directness and goal threat in the final third and now boasts three goals in his last five appearances across all competitions – two of which have secured victories against Liverpool and Sunderland.
The role of flying full-back Danny Rose, meanwhile, is a pivotal part of the Mauricio Pochettino philosophy. He offers the width in attack, allowing his according wide man to tuck inside, and has created just shy of one chance per match this term.
Consequentially, the balance of this battle could have an enormous effect on the final result. If Antonio can pin Rose back Spurs will struggle to get forward fluently, whilst there’s also the chance to exploit space he leaves behind on the counter.
On the other hand, if Rose dominates and Antonio fails to track back effectively, West Ham could find themselves facing continuous deliveries from the left-hand side.
DELE ALLI VS CHEIKHOU KOUYATE
The energy Cheikhou Kouyate offers in midfield is simply phenomenal, not only in ball-winning terms, averaging 3 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per match this season, but also his ability to drive forward from the engine room on the counter-attack.
He’s been at the heart of many emphatic Hammers wins this season, missing just four Premier League fixtures thus far, and is emerging as a real leader of the starting Xi who sets the industrious tone for those around him.
It’s not the Belgium international’s job to exclusively protect the defence but nonetheless, he’ll be particularly wary of allowing Dele Alli any form of space in the middle to final third.
The England international has been one of the stories of the season in the Premier League, emerging from League One ambiguity to claim seven goals and five assists in 25 appearances, and in addition to impressive output possesses great tenacity and dynamism.
Accordingly, he and the Hammers midfielder could end up going toe-to-toe for much of the match. But the youngster has shown a knack for petulance at times this term, so a bit of gamesmanship from Kouyate could ensure him an early bath.