Will it be back to the 4-5-1 for Hammers?

29 July 2010

HOW THEY COULD LINE UP: The possible formation for next season.

By Dave Evans

WEST HAM coach Paul Groves hinted at it in last week's Recorder, now manager Avram Grant has given the strongest indication yet - the Hammers will be playing 4-5-1 this season.

That sort of statement may be enough for many loyal West Ham fans to break out in a sweat.

They remember the failed experiments of Gianfranco Zola over the last two years to convert the team into one that played with a lone striker.

What it meant was that poor old Carlton Cole was left all alone up front, surrounded by two or three de-fenders in a forlorn attempt to hold the ball up and wait for people to race on from midfield.

Zola was in favour of it, having seen it in action at Chelsea, but the difference at Stamford Bridge was that they had a team of internationals who could use the system to their advantage.

West Ham did not have the experience, or since the departure of Craig Bellamy, the pace to make it work.

However, Grant is keen to adopt the scheme once more and this time he has brought in pace to try and make it work.

"Our first target was to get the players familiar to the system that we are going to play this season," said Grant.

"It is about stepping it up now. In three weeks we will play Aston Villa, so we will work on tactics and the style of the team."

That style is likely to be for a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 formation, which they have played since the beginning of pre-season training at Peterbrough.

Despite the absence of the international players as well as new signings Pablo Barrera and Frederick Piquionne, Grant has been working hard on his formation, using Cole as the pivot in an attack that has also comprised, Freddie Sears, Luis Boa Morte, Kieron Dyer, Cristian Montano, Anthony edgar and even Julien Faubert so far.

But it is the new boys and their pace where Grant sees the future for his formation, with Zavon Hines expected to come into the equation as well with his pace, while Benni McCarthy is likely to be a deputy for Cole.

Grant though, is not averse to adding more bodies to his squad, though with the 25-man squad rule, that suggests that players are also likely to go out as well.

"It is encouraging," said Grant. "The squad is not complete yet and we told the players we want to make it as strong as we can."

Grant has earmarked a three-man midfield for the Hammers with Hammer of the Year Scott Parker and the hugely-impressive Thomas Hitzlsp-erger being joined by one other.

Mark Noble seems an obvious choice, but with two players in midfield capable of defending as well as getting forward, the manager may opt for a more attacking option such as Dyer, Boa Morte, or - when he is fit - Jack Collison.

There is just two and a half weeks until kick-off, but you can't help feeling that the shape of the squad now, may well be quite different to the one that lines up at Villa Park.

One thing seems to be for sure though - it is going to be 4-5-1.