West Ham currently sit in a Champions League spot after a superb run of form, winning three of their last four games. Sam Allardyce will be looking to ensure this streak extends further, giving West Ham a genuine belief that they can secure European football this year. West Ham face arguably their toughest task this weekend against Man City, however.
Diafra Sakho has been in scintillating form since his move from the French Ligue 2, and has scored a goal every 117 minutes on average, with four goals in six appearances. Sakho’s pace is one of his biggest weapons and the forward has made more sprints in any single game this season than the rest of the Premier League, with 98 in the 3-1 victory over Liverpool, as shown by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Stewart Downing is another player to be thriving in the West Ham side this season, from a newly adopted central role. Despite playing centrally, Downing has completed the most crosses of any player in the West Ham squad and the second most in the division, with 13 successful deliveries, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. This has led to three assists for the Englishman, also placing him eighth in the Premier League assist rankings.
Defender Winston Reid has made a great impression on spectators so far this season, and has been a key cog in the Hammers’ defence. Reid has made 79 clearances in total, which is the sixth highest number in the Premier League and the best amongst his teammates, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Reid comes up against the red hot Sergio Agüero, who may well prove to be the toughest opponent Reid has faced this season.
Man City come in to this game off the back of a 4-1 win over Tottenham, bringing the aggregate score of the side’s last three meetings to 15-2. City need a win in order to keep the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the league, but overcoming West Ham will be no mean feat.
There were few arguments about who the man of the match award should have gone to in City’s match versus Spurs, with Sergio Agüero netting all four goals. This puts Aguero on nine goals for the season and makes him joint-top goalscorer alongside Diego Costa. According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, 69% of Aguero’s shots have been on target so far this season, in comparison to Costa’s 82%. The race for the Golden Boot is sure to be interesting and the prolific Argentinian will be hoping to add to his total this weekend against West Ham.
City are a side that have spent a lot of time in opposition territory this season, and their attacking intent is reflected in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, as two of their players are in the top three for passes in the opposition half. Yaya Toure (362) and David Silva (338) rank second and third respectively, and Silva especially has been extremely creative in the final third, much to the delight of Aguero.
Milner has continued to prosper through his extended run in the team, and has almost become a permanent fixture in Manuel Pellegrini’s XI. Milner covered 12.8km against Tottenham, which means he has covered the fifth greatest distance in a single game of any Premier League player, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.