OPINION
West Ham United fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Cardiff last Saturday and they will certainly be hoping to turn things around when they face Huddersfield this weekend.
The Hammers were unable to capitalise on their impressive 2-0 win over Newcastle the week before, and in order to have the best possible chance of beating the Premier League strugglers this weekend, Manuel Pellegrini must make five changes to the side that lost to the Bluebirds.
In goal, Lukasz Fabianski must start as normal.
The first two changes must come in the defence after a concerning display on Saturday. Aaron Cresswell was horribly exposed for Cardiff’s opening goal, and did not really offer much going forward either. He does not warrant a start this weekend, so teammate Arthur Masuaku must take his place at left-back.
Angelo Ogbonna has had a stellar rise in form recently and he has no doubt deserved to keep his place in the starting XI in the last few matches. However, the Cardiff clash saw his form decline rapidly, which is why he must be axed for Fabian Balbuena, who has not long returned from injury.
Robert Snodgrass’ rise over the course of the season has been remarkable, but anybody who witnessed him play last Saturday would have been stunned, and not in a good way.
The Scottish international – who has made 33 appearances this season – was shocking that afternoon, and he must be dropped in favour of Michail Antonio, who has found his form recently.
Whatever has happened to Felipe Anderson remains to be seen. The Brazilian playmaker was a shadow of the player that impressed fans at the start of the season and he is now starting to hamper the Irons’ efforts in front of goal. Samir Nasri deserves to replace him, as it is clear that West Ham are in need of fresh ideas.
Javier Hernandez has been starting up front, but it is clear to see that he does not pose the same threat that Marko Arnautovic does. The Austrian must replace him, as sticking with Hernandez is not going to heed any benefits at all.
If Pellegrini makes the right calls regarding his starting XI this weekend, then there is no doubt that his team would be able to destroy Huddersfield.