If Stoke follow Newcastles physical approach then West Ham could heading out the Carling Cup
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If Stoke knock West Ham out the League Cup few people would blink.
Any inroads the Hammers had made in a five game unbeaten run stretching from the end of September until last weekend were totally flattened by Newcastle. The Magpies arrived in London, bullied West Ham on their own turf and walked away with three points that kept the Irons rock-bottom of the league.
With their confidence already appearing low, one suspects the Hammers will be dragging their bodies along the floor this week. Their performance against the Geordies was awful on almost every front with a total lack of solidity at the back and a total lack of invention up front. Upton Park has rarely suffered such a bad 90 minutes. And thats saying a lot.
The only positives were from the Newcastle loss were the shifts of Scott Parker in midfield and Carlton Cole (who had West Hams only shot on target with an early goal) up-top. By contrast, question marks will inevitably be raised over West Hams defensive abilities once again after Andy Carroll was given the freedom of Upton Park to nod home a Joey Barton cross with Rob Green rooted to the spot.
The reason why the Newcastle loss will be ringing so loudly in West Ham fans ears on Wednesday night is that if the Irons were unable to deal with the physical presence of Andy Carroll on Saturday, what evidence is there that theyll be able to handle the physical game that Tony Pulis side will bring to the Boleyn Ground. In short there is none, and the forecast seems all the more dire considering centre-back Matthew Upson, who came off against Newcastle because of a hamstring problem, is a major doubt for the cup tie.
In other injury news for West Ham, striker Frederic Piquionne could also be missing after he ! picked u p a knock in Saturdays defeat. That would mean Victor Obinna could get another run out in the attack with the young Nigerian forward again looking to prove that he has the finishing ability to match his creative nous.
If your looking for a silver lining it could be in much-maligned manager Avram Grant. The black-clad Israeli boss may not always be the fifth estates favourite gaffer in England, but his FA Cup run with Portsmouth last season has parallels to his current experience in East London. On both occasions Grant inherited an appalling situation to begin with and was duly let off the hook when the poor results started flowing. But West Ham, like Pompey last year, still have some quality players on their books including the returning Valon Behrami and the industrious Mark Noble. The hope is that Grant can sprinkle the same cup magic that took the South Coasters to Wembley last year onto his current claret crop.
Stoke wont care much for West hams hopes though. The Potters more than held their own against Manchester United last Sunday, and many will have concluded that they were unfortunate not to have got at least a point out the match.
For the majority of the match against the Red Devils, Stokes backline looked strong. The likes of Thomas Sorensen, Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross are tough, seasoned top-flight professionals, and heading to London they will be confident of repelling the Hammers attacking forays.
Further forward, Stoke may not be a completely well-oiled unit, but they have enough talent in their ranks to again allow their tails to stand up. Jermaine Pennant and Matthew Etherington are a throw-back to the days when teams played two out-and-out wide-men, and on Wednesday night both will be instructed to take on their full-back at every given opportunity. The question will then be whether the wingers can deliver the quality balls into the danger area.
Provided the deliveries are up to standard, Kenwayne Jones will a constant threat. The powerful centre-forward! has his detractors who feel he maybe slightly too lazy at times, but with a proven goalscoring track record, one suspects that if he gets a sniff on target it will be up to Rob Green to make the save.
Tuncay Sanli will also be pushing for a start in the cup. The Turk, who has been rumoured to be close to the exit door after receiving few opportunities this season, replaced an ineffective Jon Walters last weekend and showed that he stills has the x-factor. Tuncay scored a sensational equaliser to haul the Potters back into the match against United, and with his eye for goal looking razor-sharp he may well get more minutes in midweek.
Depending on how West Ham start against Stoke, Upton Park could quickly turn into a pressure cooker. If Stoke score first one can expect to see heads drop all over the place, and even if the opposite transpires few Hammers fans will believe in their heart-of-hearts that their side will be able to defend a lead.
Accordingly, our advise would be to back Stoke to progress.
101gg predicts: West Ham 1 Stoke 2
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