As West Ham gear up for the ‘El Sackico’ on Monday night, Julen Lopetegui will be conjuring a plan to defeat Wolves and look to remain in a job. The Hammers sit 14th in the Premier League after 14 games, whilst Wolves currently sit 19th, conceding four goals in both of their last two games.
Whichever side loses would likely see a change in the managerial hot seat, as both coaches are under immense pressure, making this a real six-pointer.
Wolves have conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season, already shipping 36 times in just 14 games. However, they have still shown an ability to find the back of the net, scoring 22 goals, and one man in particular has been a key figure in that.
Matheus Cunha's form for Wolves
Matheus Cunha has made 15 appearances this season for Wolves, scoring seven goals and providing three assists, totalling 1,177 minutes on the pitch so far.
The 25-year-old Brazilian is clearly the main man for Gary O’Neil’s side, and by stopping him, you have a very good chance of halting any progress they try to make.
Luckily for Lopetegui, he has the perfect player to deploy against Cunha, in order to stop him from taking over the game on that left flank.
That player just so happens to be one who was once described as “the best one-on-one defender in the world” by James Maddison.
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How West Ham could stop Matheus Cunha
West Ham made the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United last summer, joining the Hammers for a fee of around £15m. Since joining the club, the defender has made 14 appearances, scoring two goals and contributing to four clean sheets.
On Tuesday night, Wan-Bissaka was moved over to left-back, allowing Vladimir Coufal to start at right-back against Leicester City. However, with Cunha starting predominantly on the left, it is key that Lopetegui deploys Wan-Bissaka back on his natural side in order to nullify their biggest threat.
Goals + Assists
0.15
0.09
Progressive Carries
3.06
1.39
Progressive Passes
4.96
4.17
Shots Total
0.53
0.26
Key Passes
0.74
0.56
Shot-Creating Actions
3.14
1.67
Tackles
2.07
1.11
Blocks
0.91
0.56
Interceptions
1.76
0.78
When analysing the key metrics between Wan-Bissaka and Coufal, the former comes out on top in every single metric, providing more progression, better output, and a higher volume of defensive actions for the side.
So far this season, the former United man has managed to add an extra level to his game, often known for his defensive qualities, but showing he can also affect the game going forwards, scoring in back-to-back Premier League games.
With Cunha often starting from the left this season, looking to drift between wide areas and the half-spaces, the presence of Wan-Bissaka will be needed to deal with this threat down the left flank, forcing Cunha to either give it up to his teammates or vacate into other areas of the pitch to affect the game.
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