West Ham face Chelsea this weekend at The London stadium, aiming for back-to-back wins.
The Hammers beat Everton last Sunday to claim their first points of the season. Now, they face a tricky challenge against Chelsea in this Sunday’s early kick-off.
Chelsea have won all five of their Premier League matches under new manager Maurizio Sarri.
And it is clear that the danger man is Eden Hazard. The Belgium international leads the Premier League scoring charts with five strikes.
He comes into the game high on confidence after netting a hat-trick to down Cardiff City last weekend.
But who should West Ham deploy to nullify his threat? Ryan Fredericks or Pablo Zabaleta? Let’s take a look…
Pablo Zabaleta
Zabaleta has been around for many years and played at the top level of the game.
The 33-year-old is not particularly quick but his experience would help him when faced with Hazard’s threat.
The Chelsea winger is deceptive and possesses a lot of skill but Zabaleta is no-nonsense and uses positioning to help his defending.
Hazard may have the pace to beat the former Argentina international but Zabaleta might not give him the space to use his speed.
Ryan Fredericks
Manuel Pellegrini may be worried about Hazard’s pace against the ageing Zabaleta.
In such a case, it might mean Fredericks is recalled to the first-team fold.
The 25-year-old signed from Fulham in the summer on a free transfer but is yet to make his mark at West Ham.
What the former Tottenham Hotspur man does possess is raw pace and he would match Hazard stride for stride.
The worry is that his defending has been questionable at times this season and the Belgian’s deft touches might be too much for Fredericks to handle at this stage of his career.
The Verdict
I think that Zabaleta should retain his place. While he may not have the legs any more, he is a clever player and can use his positional sense to deal with Hazard.
Zabaleta was recalled to the starting line-up to face Everton and turned in a good performance.
On the pitch, he is vocal and demonstrates great leadership. Fredericks is still a raw talent adjusting to Premier League football.
It makes sense to stick with Zabaleta this weekend, while looking to blood Fredericks in for the long-term.
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