West Ham United’s Pablo Fornals could be looking to exploit the weaknesses of one particular opponent this weekend.
Following results in the Premier League in the past week, the race for a place in Europe has taken a few interesting twists, and the Hammers will be looking for all three points to give themselves the best chance of making it come the end of the season.
They will have their work cut out for them, as they are taking on a side in Wolves that have the joint-third best defence in the league this season with just 20 goals conceded. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few weaknesses for them to take advantage of.
Here, we look at one key battle where David Moyes’ men should be looking to capitalise, with winger Pablo Fornals capable of inflicting some serious damage in on Sunday…
What does Fornals bring?
Have you been impressed with Fornals so far this season?
Yes
No
Whilst Jarrod Bowen has been putting up some impressive numbers on the right flank, Fornals has been causing opponents problems down the left side as well this season as one of the Hammers’ key creative sparks.
The Spaniard, who joined the Hammers for £24m in 2019, has averaged 1.3 shots per game, 1.3 key passes and 0.8 fouls drawn in the Premier League this term – all of which rank inside the top five among the West Ham squad at present – to go along with his five goals and two assists (via WhoScored).
And whilst dribbling might not necessarily be his forte these days, as he is only averaging 0.7 per game this season – a far cry from what he has put up at times in his career – given who he will be up against, he should have a great opportunity to boost those numbers up.
Which Wolves man should be worried?
The stats outlined above should send shivers down the spine of 20-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever, who joined Wolves for an initial £9m in September 2020.
Regular right-back Nelson Semedo picked up an injury in their defeat to Arsenal on Thursday, and it looks as if he could well be out of the clash at the London Stadium, and with Hoever the only natural right-back alternative, it seems he’ll be the most likely candidate to take his place.
However, he hasn’t played a lot of games this season, and when he has done, he hasn’t exactly impressed. The Dutchman has only been putting up 1.2 tackles per game – joint-10th in the Wolves side – whilst only making 0.8 interceptions and being dribbled past 0.7 times per match.
Add to that, the fact he may well be rusty having not played for so long, and you imagine that Fornals and the West Ham team could be looking to attack him as much as they can.
TIF Thoughts on Pablo Fornals this weekend for West Ham United…
Given Wolves’ defensive solidity as a whole, it’s not as if one player missing is likely to make a monumental change to how they play and the overall strength of the side, and West Ham may well still find it difficult to break them down.
But attacking Hoever does represent one of their best chances to make a success of the day in what arguably goes down as a six-pointer in east London this weekend – a game that you feel could go a long way to deciding the fates of both sides before the end of the campaign.
In other news: Serious upgrade: £27m star will be a forgotten man if big West Ham rumour comes true – opinion