Pep’s counter-attack defence

​​​​​​​West Ham will look to hurt Manchester City on the break at the Etihad Stadium on Super Sunday. It was an effective tactic for the Hammers last season, but does Pep Guardiola have the formula for defending against the counter-attack?

Slaven Bilic’s West Ham were one of the Premier League’s surprise packages at the start of last season, storming to memorable wins against heavyweights Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in their first three away games of the campaign.

The Hammers averaged just 35 per cent possession across the three fixtures, but their electrifying counter-attacks made the difference as they put three goals past Liverpool and two past Arsenal and City. “If West Ham take the lead, teams have got a big problem,” said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher at the time. “They’re so good at counter-attacking.”

Bilic harnessed the speed and directness of Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho, who would burst forward in unison after stealing possession in their own half. “The great thing from West Ham’s point of view is the amount of people looking to join in and sprint forward,” added Gary Neville.

Now, almost a year on from their last visit to the Etihad Stadium, West Ham return to Manchester aiming to cause City more problems on the break. The personnel are different, but Payet is expected to be fit, while the likes of Gokhan Tore, Michail Antonio and Enner Valencia are similarly well-equipped to play on the break.

It’s a tricky prospect for Pep Guardiola, but City’s new coach has already showcased an interesting method of dealing with the counter. He caused a stir when he asked Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna to tuck into central midfield in their 2-1 win over Sunderland, but …

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