West Ham United may have finally found some attacking momentum, but Derby County possess a weapon capable of exposing one of Nuno Espírito Santo’s lingering problems at London Stadium.
The Hammers host John Eustace’s side on Saturday after responding to a difficult Championship start with Tuesday’s 4-2 victory over Wolves.
Attention has naturally turned towards whether Nuno should keep faith with that winning side.
But the Derby County tactics West Ham must deal with could make the defensive side of the game just as important.
Derby County tactics create clear West Ham warning
West Ham’s official Analytics United assessment of Derby centres on the Rams’ ability to dominate through direct football.
Their accompanying tactical preview also identifies set-pieces as an important source of danger for Eustace’s team.
That should catch Nuno’s attention.
West Ham scored four against Wolves but still conceded twice, continuing a Championship start in which the defence has offered opponents too many opportunities.
The result was encouraging.
The performance did not suddenly remove every weakness.
Our full West Ham vs Derby preview already highlighted the importance of following the Wolves victory with another strong result.
Stopping Derby from turning Saturday into a physical contest will be central to doing that.
Eustace has added another direct threat
Derby’s Deadline Day business has also increased the options available to Eustace.
Mohammed Fuseini joined on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise and can operate across the forward line.
Eustace described Fuseini as “really direct, very quick” and also highlighted his ability to score goals when discussing Derby’s late-window additions.
David Ozoh has returned to the club, while Eiran Cashin provides another experienced defensive presence.
Derby therefore arrive at London Stadium with more variety than they possessed earlier in the campaign.
They also travel south after beating Portsmouth 2-0 at Fratton Park.
