Potter ‘must drag Alvarez off’ at half-time for West Ham to seal win v Leicester
West Ham are 2-0 up against Leicester City, but one simple change could take the game entirely away from the Foxes at half-time.
Off the back of what was an impressive result against Arsenal, the hope would be that West Ham would take plenty of momentum into this clash with the Foxes.
Just as he did against the Gunners, Graham Potter has opted to go for a back five with three central midfielders in front, and it isn’t having the same effect.
With the Irons dominating possession at the London Stadium, the setup is far too negative for an encounter against one of the sides struggling the most this season, and despite being 2-0 up, it isn’t getting the best out of the team.
Jarrod Bowen has the quality to run this game, alongside Mohammed Kudus, but the duo are having to drop far too deep to pick up the ball, leaving them with very few options, and Potter must make a change.
Potter has to make a change at half-time for West Ham
West Ham have been far too slow in possession and far too deep when out of it, and with so many defensive players on the pitch, it’s evident why.
The game is passing Edson Alvarez by, and his role in the team isn’t really needed in a game that is likely to be played mainly in the opposition half.
Leicester are there for the taking and if West Ham attack the second half with the level of intensity they are capable of, this could be their biggest win of the season.
With several more attacking options on the bench, Potter simply has to turn to one of them for the irons to play to their full potential this evening, and Carlos Soler may be the perfect switch.
| West Ham v Leicester | Goals | xG | Shots | Possession |
| West Ham | 2 | 0.89 | 5 | 70% |
| Leicester | 0 | 0.04 | 1 | 30% |
The Spaniard can dictate play just as Alvarez likes to, with the added ability of being able to carve out goal-scoring opportunities, which is exactly what has been missing for a large part of the half.
His introduction would give them the option to play forward through the middle, as opposed to only out wide, which has been the case for the majority of the Hammers’ half-hearted attacks.
West Ham are capable of more than they have showed v Leicester
With very little left to play for this season, the focus for West Ham simply has to be on having as strong a finish to the campaign as possible.
While winning games will breed confidence, fans will want to see attacking football that gets the most out of the likes of Bowen and Kudus.
Three points are the most important outcome of this game, and their chances of receding them would be significantly boosted with the change.