The fixture between West Ham United and Liverpool represents a fascinating tactical stalemate. David Moyes’ side is engineered to frustrate and punish high-pressing teams, while Liverpool’s strength lies in breaking down organized defenses through intense pressure and unique positional structures.
1. West Ham United: The Compact Block and Verticality
Under David Moyes, West Ham operates with a highly predictable yet incredibly effective blueprint, particularly against top-six opposition: deep defense, quick transitions, and set-piece dominance.
A. The Defensive Setup
West Ham typically sits in a compact 4-5-1 shape when out of possession, concentrating bodies in the central areas to deny space between the lines. The midfield line drops very deep, forcing opponents to either circulate the ball wide or attempt risky passes through traffic.
The defensive structure is designed to absorb pressure, funnel passes to less dangerous zones, and wait for a turnover.
B. The Counter-Attack
Once the ball is won, West Ham's transition is direct and vertical. James Ward-Prowse's delivery from deep is critical, but the acceleration of their forward line is the true weapon. Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus are exceptional in carrying the ball from defense to attack at high speed. They will look to exploit the large spaces left by Liverpool's high-pressing full-backs.
C. Set-Piece Dominance
With Ward-Prowse's elite delivery and the aerial threat posed by Kurt Zouma, Tomáš Souček, and others, set pieces are arguably West Ham's biggest goal threat. This demands absolute defensive concentration from Liverpool at all times.
2. Liverpool FC: High Press and Positional Manipulation
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool demands intensity in everything—the high press, the attack, and the speed of recovery. Against a low block like West Ham’s, Liverpool’s structural adjustments become key.
A. The Inverted Full-Back (Trent Alexander-Arnold)
Liverpool’s primary tool for breaking down defensive banks is the repositioning of the right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold (or an equivalent, depending on the side of the field). When Liverpool builds possession, the full-back steps into the midfield, creating a 3-2-5 attacking structure or sometimes a 2-3-5.
This inverted position creates a temporary central midfield overload, allowing Liverpool to outnumber West Ham's pivot and find passes into the final third. It also pulls a West Ham central midfielder out of position, destabilizing their core defensive structure.
B. The Gegenpress
Liverpool’s intensity is defined by the Gegenpress (counter-press). As soon as they lose the ball, the closest two or three players swarm the ball carrier. This is a critical weapon against West Ham because it prevents Moyes’ side from launching organized counter-attacks and often wins the ball back deep in the opposition half.
C. Fluid Front Three
The front line operates with high fluidity. Mohamed Salah often stays wide to stretch the defense, while the central striker (e.g., Darwin Núñez or Cody Gakpo) and the left winger (Luis Díaz) constantly interchange positions, looking to make quick diagonal runs behind the West Ham back four.
3. Key Tactical Matchups
I. The Press vs. The Pivot (Liverpool Midfield vs. Souček/Álvarez): The midfield battle is vital. Can Liverpool’s midfielders, supported by the inverted full-back, play quickly enough to prevent Edson Álvarez and Tomáš Souček from locking down the central third? If Liverpool’s tempo drops, West Ham will win the ball and launch their attacks.
II. The Wide Channel Duel (Liverpool Full-backs vs. Bowen/Kudus): This is the most dangerous area for Liverpool. When Andy Robertson or Kostas Tsimikas push high, and Alexander-Arnold inverts, the spaces on the flanks are exposed. Bowen and Kudus are exceptional at running into these vacated areas. Liverpool’s central defenders (Virgil van Dijk especially) and the holding midfielder must provide crucial cover and recovery pace to track these runs.
III. The Aerial Battle: West Ham will test Liverpool's defense with crosses and set-pieces throughout the game. Liverpool must be defensively impeccable on every dead-ball situation, as West Ham only needs one corner or free-kick to change the course of the match.
Conclusion and Prediction
This fixture is a true test of wills. Liverpool will dominate possession and territory, pushing West Ham deeper and deeper. The result hinges on two things: Liverpool's ability to consistently execute the counter-press to stifle the transition, and West Ham's ability to remain disciplined while converting one or two critical chances from a counter-attack or set piece.
Given Liverpool's current relentless goal-scoring form and the difficulty West Ham has in maintaining defensive concentration for the full 90 minutes against elite attacks, Liverpool is favored, but this will be a tight, hard-fought affair.
Predicted Score: West Ham 1 – 2 Liverpool
