West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Date: 23/11/2019
K/O: 12:30pm
Venue: London Stadium
Referee: Michael Oliver
TV: BT Sport 1
The opening fixture of this weekend’s Premier League action is one of huge significance, as Jose Mourinho returns to the Premier League as the newly appointed manager of Tottenham Hotspur; who travel to the London Stadium to take on fellow strugglers West Ham United.
We can only really start with the goings-on that took place in North London over the twelve-hour period between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. Mauricio Pochettino was sacked at around 7pm before Mourinho was appointed in the early hours of the following morning. The short timescale of the whole process suggests that the deal was effectively completed much earlier than Wednesday.
Mourinho’s last managerial game was in charge of Manchester United, who were beaten 3-1 by Liverpool on 16th December last year, after spending around £400 million on new signings. The Portuguese almost certainly faces a different challenge at Spurs – bringing the team back into a top-four spot without spending nearly as much as he did at United.
This may sound like a trivial task considering that Tottenham have finished in a Champions League spot in the last four seasons, but the Lilywhites’ extremely poor form has left them in 14th position, 11 points away from fourth-placed Manchester City and only six adrift of the relegation zone. Spurs were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup to Colchester United earlier in the season and although a large proportion of fans disagree with the board’s decision to sack Pochettino, perhaps a manager with an eye for winning trophies is just what Spurs need.
Mourinho has a decent record against West Ham, beating them 11 times out of 16 and only losing twice. The Hammers have experienced a poor series of results themselves of late and a loss for Tottenham could indicate a very shaky season under a new manager who has caused so much controversy during his time in the English top division.
The Hammers themselves sit two places behind Spurs in 16th and one point worse off than their London rivals. After a promising start to the season, Pellegrini’s men have lost their spark and have been drifting closer to the bottom three for much of the campaign. Their last win in any competition was way back in September against Mourinho’s old club Manchester United. Since then, the team has suffered a 4-0 drubbing to Oxford United and, more recently, a 3-0 defeat at Turf Moor.
A win for either side on Saturday lunchtime could dramatically improve their league position. Depending on other results around the grounds, West Ham could enter the top half of the table, while Spurs may even break back into the top five. The mid-table teams are so closely packed that it’s difficult to gauge a team’s performance based on the table alone.
Home form has been a continual problem for West Ham since they moved to the London Stadium following the Olympic Games. The same issue has persisted this season, with the Hammers collecting just seven points from six games in East London. However, Spurs’ away form is even worse and Pellegrini will hope his team can capitalise on this and get their season back on track.
Team News
West Ham United
Manuel Lanzini was taken off the field after fracturing his collarbone in West Ham’s last match against Burnley and the Argentine will be out for a lengthy period of time after undergoing surgery on the Monday following that fixture. In the same match, captain Mark Noble suffered a sprained ankle and could miss out on Saturday as well.
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski continues to recover from a hip injury that will likely keep him out well into the new year. Jack Wilshere and Michail Antonio have both suffered unfortunate injury spells this season but will be assessed ahead of Saturday’s match.
Tottenham Hotspur
Centre-back Jan Vertonghen could be set for a return to the squad after missing out on a number of games throughout November with a hamstring injury. Erik Lamela is also suffering from a similar injury, but it is unknown whether the Argentine will be fit to make an appearance on the weekend.
Hugo Lloris will remain out of the team until at least the end of the year after he dislocated his arm in early October.
Predicted Starting XIs
West Ham United (4-1-4-1): Martin; Cresswell, Diop, Balbuena, Fredericks; Rice; Anderson, Snodgrass, Fornals, Yarmolenko; Haller
Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga; Davies, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Aurier; Winks, Sissoko; Son, Alli, Lucas; Kane
Score Prediction: West Ham United 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Whenever a new manager is appointed, it’s always hard to predict the immediate results for the manager’s new team. However, Jose Mourinho often has a quick start at the clubs he takes charge of and may be able to grab a much-needed win for Spurs.
