You would have to be living in another galaxy to have avoided the attention that Manchester United’s defence – or lack thereof – has received in the opening weeks of the new season. There was even more focus on it after last week’s capitulation away to Leicester. Despite leading 2-0 and 3-1, United ended up losing 5-3 after a second half collapse. Two penalties, one red card and a host of individual errors were to blame for their second league defeat of the season. It means they have now conceded 12 goals in six games across all competitions and they come into this weekend knowing they will be up against a side who will look to capitalise on their evident deficiencies at the back. In the past a home game against West Ham would usually yield three points but everybody connected with Man Utd at the moment is well aware of the transitional period the club is going through and nothing can be taken for granted.
West Ham supporters have not been shy about their frustration of watching a defensive and unattractive brand of football served up by Sam Allardyce and it seems that has rubbed off on the owners, as well. They have funded several big transfers over the summer in a bid to get the side playing more entertaining football and it certainly looks like it’s working. League games involving the hammers this season have seen 17 goals, incidentally, the same number as their opponents on Saturday. There’s no argument in determining their most impressive result thus far, however, as the 3-1 home defeat of Liverpool indicated that they still had a discipline and organisation needed to see out games. They’ll travel to Manchester in buoyant mood because of that and will be hoping they can take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding Old Trafford at the moment.
Many thought that Louis Van Gaal would stick rigidly to his 3-5-2 system which worked so well for his Dutch side in the World Cup – that’s not been the case, though. In recent weeks he has been unable to field enough defenders in his line-up to play this way and it looks like he’ll have to play with emergency defenders in a back four once again. With Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Johnny Evans all missing through injury and Tyler Blackett suspended, it’s likely Luke Shaw will make his debut at left back and Marcos Rojo moving inside to the centre of defence
They may pale in comparison to the likes of Falcao and Di Maria who they will face at Old Trafford, but West Ham signings have definitely hit the ground running. Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho have made a huge difference to their attacking play and they were supported with a powerful midfield display against Liverpool by Alex Song who has came in on loan from Barcelona. Combine the new personnel with a change in system which allows them to play more expansively, and it’s no surprise to see how many more problems they are causing opposition defences.
You will probably get a lot worse 8/1 shots than the one on offer for the away win here but I believe there’s a safer bet on offer. These sides are scoring plenty of goals and conceding more than a few, as well. United come into this game with only one recognised centre half and he’s been playing at left back since joining. West Ham will look to test that from the outset but they’ll be up against a fearsome attack which has shown signs of genuine class in the last couple of games. I strongly believe it all points to both teams to score so take advantage of the standout price available at Ladbrokes.
Both teams to score 5/6 @ Ladbrokes
