If West Ham win tomorrow, they will pass LFC in the Premier League table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So far, West Ham have had a very nice season. They sit fourth in the table, with their only defeats coming to Man United and Brentford. They had a nice 4-1 win in the second match of the season against Leicester City (which had a red card). \u00a0They recently eked out a 1-0 win against Spurs. They also managed a win (on penalties) against Man City in the League Cup \u2014 a competition that Man City had won four consecutive times.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

West Ham\u2019s underlying xG numbers indicate that their performances have basically matched their results. They deserve their current fourth place status.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0fivethirtyeight.com<\/a>\u00a0algorithm says that West Ham has a 43% probability of either a draw (21%) or a win (22%) against LFC tomorrow. My anecdotal sample of Liverpool fan media indicates that many LFC fans would give West Ham a better chance of winning than that.\u00a0
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But, this will be West Ham\u2019s first Premier League match this season against either Liverpool, Man City, or Chelsea. \u00a0They have yet to be tested.\u00a0
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No doubt that Liverpool\u2019s coaching staff and footballers will treat this contest and opponent with great seriousness. But I am not as concerned as I hope they are. Call me dubious. I’m dubious about the likelihood that West Ham will be able to pose a real threat to the Relentless Reds. \u00a0
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West Ham play in a 4-2-3-1 formation in possession, which shifts to a traditional 4-4-2 when they defend. In defense, they play a solid, well-organized mid-block press. \u00a0When they have the ball, they are a bit ponderous. Their passing is low-tempo and relatively unimaginative.\u00a0
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West Ham pose their biggest threats in transition and, to a lesser extent, with set pieces. Striker Michail Antonio, with his combination of skill, intelligence, speed, and strength, is capable of scoring in a number of ways. And, their other attackers are all capable of a bit of magic, given some time and space. They have great height \u2014 their two central midfielders measure 6\u20191\u201d (Declan Rice) and 6\u20194\u201d (Tomas Soucek) \u2014 but they have decent pace at every position as well. While West Ham has one excellent player \u2014 Antonio \u2014 the rest of their players are good, but rarely good enough to play for LFC. \u00a0Meanwhile, while their manager is solid, he\u2019s also a bit of a joke among Liverpool faithful. As we\u2019ve discussed before, David Moyes can\u2019t beat Liverpool.\u00a0
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I am suffering from the recency bias of our unexpected (to me) annihilation of Atletico in mid-week. I believe we will crush West Ham.\u00a0
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If LFC manage to win or draw, they will break the modern-day club record for most consecutive games in all competitions without a loss \u2014 26. Most impressively, the first 10 undefeated games in that run came at the end of the disastrous campaign last season. \u00a0
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Tomorrow, we are likely to see our first-choice midfield starting together for the first time this season. Fabinho, Henderson, and Thiago. They\u2019ve spent at least a few minutes on the pitch together, but, if they all start tomorrow, that will be a first.\u00a0
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That said, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is our only senior central midfielder available tomorrow other than the aforementioned top-choice three. Curtis Jones is out with a scratched eye. Milner and Ke\u00efta both have hamstring problems. And Elliott is still recovering from a broken leg.\u00a0
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Among the forwards, Firmino joined the hamstrung crew \u2014 and apparently his hamstring injury is more severe. It will probably be close to the New Year before we see Bobby again.\u00a0
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In defense, by contrast, Klopp is spoiled for choice, and it will be interesting to see who he chooses. Trent, Alisson, and VVD are automatic. \u00a0Robbo is ALMOST automatic. But Robbo’s backup performed better against Atletico than Robbo has over his last several appearances. And, Robbo is about to go play two matches for Scotland, where he will likely play 180 minutes as captain giving everything he has emotionally, mentally, and physically. \u00a0It would not be crazy at all for Klopp to give Tsimikas another start. But, in his press conference yesterday Klopp shrugged off a question that headed in that direction, and indicated that Robbo is the best left back in the world. That may be right. And, that response certainly hints that Robertson will start tomorrow.\u00a0
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But, that still leaves the last spot \u2014 the right center back position \u2014 up for grabs. As I predicted, Matip started mid-week. And, Matip played great, as he has done in pretty much every game this season. Matip has made very few mistakes, and he makes a lot of great plays. But, over the last couple of league matches, the starting nod has gone to Ibou Konat\u00e9. \u00a0He\u2019s bigger and faster than Matip. He\u2019s also tremendously skilled, and he\u2019s excellent in the air. But, compared to Matip, he\u2019s far less experienced and more likely to make a costly error.\u00a0
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With West Ham\u2019s height and relatively strong threat from set pieces, Konat\u00e9 makes a bit more sense than he might otherwise. And, as I\u2019ve previously pointed out, I believe Konat\u00e9\u2019s skill set is generally better-suited to playing the super-high defensive line that Klopp prefers.\u00a0
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I think Ibou starts tomorrow.\u00a0
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Lineup:

Up the mighty, Relentless Reds.
West Ham 0 – LFC 3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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