BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has shared how Carlo Ancelotti can see that Everton beat David Moyes’ West Ham United when the two sides meet in East London this Saturday.
The Toffees will be Moyes’ third opponent in the Premier League since being re-appointed to the Hammers’ helm last month, following a 4-0 trouncing of AFC Bournemouth and a 1-0 defeat last time out at Sheffield United.
Ancelotti will guide the Blues into the London Stadium for his fifth top-flight game in charge of the club, and will be looking for his fourth victory since succeeding Marco Silva in the dugout after beating Burnley, Newcastle United and Brighton.
If the Italian is to make it win number five away to the Hammers, Lawrenson has suggested the boss will have to break open a rigid defence and spread the play, as Moyes will want to keep things tight as he gets to know his options.
“West Ham got beaten by Sheffield United last week, although they did have chances,” Lawrenson noted in his column for BBC Sport. “What would have been a late equaliser was disallowed for handball, because those are the laws of [the] game – it is a rubbish law, but you have got to stick to them.
“I still think David Moyes has had positive start to his return as Hammers boss, and the same obviously goes for Carlo Ancelotti at Everton – apart from when they went to Liverpool in the FA Cup, they have been good.
“I think this will be tight, and West Ham will be happy to keep it that way.
“Moyes is not going to play open, expansive football because he doesn’t know some of his players yet, and they have not been playing well – you have got to understand that his priority will be to make it difficult for teams to play against them.”
What will the result be at West Ham?
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Lawrenson does not only expect Moyes to make it difficult for us in East London on Saturday, but the former Liverpool defender anticipates we will be returning to Goodison Park without any points to show for our efforts.
The BBC pundit has predicted the Irons to win 2-1, which would be our second defeat at the London Stadium having drawn once and won once in our previous visits to the ground.
First-half goals from Kurt Zouma and Bernard ensured we won on our travels to West Ham last season, on a day we enjoyed 50.7% of the possession, took 17 shots to three and completed 340 accurate passes, per WhoScored data.
West Ham managed to do a lot of damage to Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth on New Year’s Day without much of the ball, as the Irons only held possession for 42.6% of the league affair.
Moyes men put their time in possession to good use, though, as they struck 14 shots to three, with seven efforts requiring Aaron Ramsdale to try to make a save.
In other Everton news, Ancelotti is reportedly keen to land a €20million defender, but the club lag behind a European giant in the race for his signature.