Who will Liam Rosenior pick against West Ham?
Appointing Liam Rosenior as Enzo Maresca’s successor has paid off in full, right up to the Chelsea vs. West Ham tip. The 41-year-old has won five of his first six competitive games with his new team – the only exception being the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the EFL Cup semi-final.
Unlike his predecessor, the English coach allows his full-backs to move less into the center when building up play and tends to rely on a double six. Andrey Santos, who already played for Rosenior at Strasbourg, has recommended himself for this role and may start again in our Chelsea vs. West Ham prediction.
The relegation-threatened club is currently in 18th place in the table, but recently won three competitive games in a row for the first time under Nuno Espirito Santo.
The visitors’ defense is too vulnerable. The Irons have already conceded 45 goals this season – no other team in the league has picked the ball out of their own net more often. Chelsea are capable of identifying gaps and punishing carelessness.
Together with the two Manchester clubs, the Blues have scored the most expected goals in the English top flight (41.05 xG). At Betano, we’re taking advantage of the Chelsea – West Ham betting odds of 2.00 and playing “Chelsea to win & Over 2.5 goals.”
Chelsea – West Ham Head-to-head record / H2H record
The Blues have recently put together a respectable run against the Hammers. Chelsea have won four consecutive Premier League matches – mostly in impressive fashion (15:2 goals). Furthermore, the Hammers have won only one of their last 19 visits to Stamford Bridge (in the Premier League) (4D, 14L).
Nuno Espirito Santo would be wise to come up with a clever plan for the home side’s attacking play. Since Liam Rosenior took the helm in London, Chelsea have won five of six games. The hosts have scored at least three goals in half of those matches (3/6), including their last two competitive games.
Chelsea – West Ham Tip
By filling the central midfield with Andrey Santos, Liam Rosenior opens up opportunities for Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, who can then follow their instincts more and play in a less position-specific manner. The 21-year-old Brazilian plays his role with discipline and is ready to receive the ball under extreme pressure when building up play.
However, he should hardly feel any pressure from the Hammers. Typical for Santo’s teams, the Irons drop deep, allow the most passes per defensive action in the front area of the field (14.7) in the league, and focus on compacting the central spaces around their own penalty area.
However, this approach rarely works as hoped for the Hammers. The visitors have already conceded 346 shots, with 124 of those on target. Both figures are surpassed only by Burnley in the English top flight.
Chelsea not only usually create a lot of chances, but in most cases also high-quality shooting opportunities (0.13 xG/shot). Since the Blues themselves concede goals more often, we can safely assume that there will be several goals in the game.
