By oldest 
Alright, so I figured it was about time to get real about this West Ham vs Liverpool headache. Been bouncing this around my head for days, especially after that last drubbing. Need to find something, anything, that doesn’t just fall apart against those red waves.
Where I Started – Pure Frustration
Honestly? First thought was just “How do we not get smashed again?” Liverpool, man, they come at you so fast, Salah and that lot slicing through like butter most times. We always seem one step behind. So today, brewing my second coffee, I grabbed a notepad. Old school, I know. Just started scribbling shapes – 4-4-2? Too open. 5-4-1? Might be way too deep, invite pressure.
Started thinking about our lads. Antonio back fit? Crucial. Bowen’s engine? Gotta be involved. Then there’s Paqueta… brilliant, but sometimes tries too much. And the defense? Zouma and Aguerd, gotta be solid.
Messing Around With Shapes
Okay, sat down at the kitchen table. Dusted off the laptop, fired up that tactic sim I sometimes mess with. Not perfect, but gives a rough idea.
- Attempt One: The Brave(ish) 4-3-3
Wanted us to have a go! Antonio up top, Bowen right, Benrahma left. Alvarez holding, Soucek and Ward-Prowse as those runners? Looks alright attacking. Hit sim against Liverpool’s usual 4-3-3. Oh dear. Their midfield, Henderson and Fabinho, just ate Alvarez alive sometimes, and Salah kept tearing into Coufal. Conceded three in the first sim-half! Too much space out wide for them. Felt flimsy.
- Attempt Two: Packing the Middle – 3-5-2
Right, change of plan. Need numbers. Tried three centre-backs – Zouma, Aguerd, Kehrer. Emerson and Coufal as wing-backs. Midfield three of Alvarez, Soucek, Paqueta. Two up top, Antonio and Bowen. The idea? Be solid, crowd the centre, stop those Liverpool passes through the middle. Wing-backs push on when we can. Initial sim looked better defensively! Blocked a couple of those channel runs. But then, big problem: transition. When we won the ball back deep, who links the play? Paqueta got crowded out too easily. The wing-backs were knackered trying to cover Trent and Robertson AND get forward. Ended up just booting it long to Antonio most times. Felt toothless after 20 minutes. Sim ended 2-0 Liverpool, felt lucky it wasn’t more.
- Attempt Three: The “Bend Don’t Break” 5-3-2
Alright, learning my lesson. Need that extra body at the back against Salah and Nunez/Diaz. Stuck with the back three (Zouma, Aguerd, Ogbonna for height), but brought Emerson and Coufal right back as proper wing-backs, sitting deeper unless safe. Went back to Alvarez holding, Paqueta, and Soucek. Kept Antonio and Bowen up top for that out-ball. Focused the whole thing on discipline – sit deep, stay narrow, force Liverpool wide, hope they put crosses in rather than cut through us.
This… actually looked okay? Seriously, sim results improved. Didn’t look pretty, spent a lot of time in our half. But the shape held. Soucek and Aguerd won some headers. Bowen got in behind once or twice on the break. Conceded from a long-range screamer (typical Trent), but only lost 1-0 in the sim. Progress! But felt like just surviving, waiting for them to score.
Figuring Out What Might Work
After staring at the screen for ages, couple of things stuck out:
- Extra Body at the Back Non-Negotiable: Going with only four against that Liverpool attack? Just asking for trouble. Need at least five defenders meaning three centre-backs plus covering wing-backs. Kehrer or even Johnson might be needed.
- Paqueta in a Cage: Love him, but he can’t be wandering around freely in our half. Liverpool will pick him off and kill us. Got to play him higher, even if it’s just off a striker, or tell him his defensive job is absolutely crucial today. Discipline, discipline, discipline.
- Long Balls Only With Purpose: Kicking it long to Antonio isn’t enough. Got to have Bowen or another runner buzzing around him immediately. Win the knockdown, move it fast. Otherwise, it just comes straight back.
- Set Pieces = Lifeline: Ward-Prowse putting corners onto Zouma and Soucek’s heads? That might be our best route to goal. Practise those routines all week.
The harsh truth? None of this guarantees anything. Liverpool are scary good. A 5-3-2 or maybe a very disciplined 5-4-1 gives us a chance to hang in there, be solid, and maybe nick something on the break or from a set piece. Trying to go toe-to-toe seems suicidal right now. It feels defensive, maybe boring, but if we get any points, we’ll take it! Right, time to close the laptop. Head still aches, but at least I feel like I tried something. Need more coffee.
