There is, of course, more than one way to see out a win. But as West Ham United and Leeds have proven heading into the Christmas period, sometimes attack really is the best form of defence.
And West Ham could stand to learn something from the way Leeds kept Chelsea at arms’ length during a real statement performance, not to mention what could prove to be a turning point victory, at Elland Road on Wednesday night.
A week-and-a-half after Nuno Espirito Santo’s side threw away a 2-0 half-time lead away to AFC Bournemouth, Leeds went into the break with the same scoreline in their favour when Enzo Maresca’s Blues made the trip to West Yorkshire.
But while Bournemouth would eventually peg West Ham United back – Nuno needed an ‘incredible’ Alphonse Areola display to stop a 2-0 lead becoming a 3-2 loss, by the way – Leeds would eventually seal all three points relatively comfortably.
That 3-1 triumph means Daniel Farke’s reigning Championship champions have now moved three points clear of 18th place West Ham. If the Londoners are to climb back out of the relegation zone on Thursday night, they will need to replicate May’s 2-0 triumph at Old Trafford.
Considering that West Ham will be without Crysencio Summerville and the suspended Lucas Paqueta, not to mention the fact an out-of-sorts Jarrod Bowen has gone seven games without a goal, the odds on another win away to a vulnerable but improved Man United look fairly slim.
Leeds’ Chelsea victory shows what West Ham United should consider doing
The statistics speak for themselves.
After Callum Wilson ‘magnificently’ fired West Ham 2-0 in front at the Vitality Stadium, Nuno’s half-time team talk appeared to revolve around protecting what they had rather than attempting to add to it.
In the commentary booth, Hammers icon Tony Gale saw a number of ‘strange’ substitutions take place as well. Off went Luis Guilherme, Mateus Fernandes and Callum Wilson. Alongside Bowen, perhaps the three West Ham players capable of offering an outlet in the final third, either through speed in transition, ball-carrying ability, or their hold-up play.
The introductions of Kyle Walker-Peters, Tomas Soucek and Niclas Fullkrug, plus a defensive line so deep it almost ended up among the home fans, saw Bournemouth lay siege on an inspired Areola between the sticks.
In the second half alone, Bournemouth racked up a staggering 21 shots, alongside around 80 per cent of the possession. Areola ended up making a record ten saves. He alone was the reason why Andoni Iraola’s side only managed to salvage a point from 2-0 down, rather than securing all three.
Speaking ahead of that Man United clash, midfielder Mateus Fernandes says lessons must be learned from the way they sacrificed the initiative and invited Bournemouth to pin them back.
Nuno Espirito Santo must learn from that Bournemouth collapse
They say 2-0 is a ‘dangerous scoreline’. Nuno’s uber-pragmatic, defend-for-your-lives approach, though, was bordering on the suicidal.
“We need to look at the match against Bournemouth,” Fernandes says. “It was a difficult game. We were winning 2-0, and we tried to defend. They played very well in the second half, but we need to try to play forward when we win the ball.”
“You’re so, so deep,” Gale said after Enes Unal drew Bournemouth level late on. An equaliser, he felt, was inevitable given how many opportunities and how much space West Ham were giving up.
“Have a look at the deepness of West Ham. There are two or three players playing [Unal] onside. West Ham really should be dealing with that. So many defenders, so deep as well. Everybody is leaving it to each other and they make them pay, Bournemouth.
“They can’t go any deeper, West Ham. They will be on the goal line!”
Daniel Farke’s Leeds prove that attack can be the best form of defence
The contrast between that performance, and the one produced by a fierce Leeds outfit against Champions League-chasing Chelsea, was night and day.
Yes, this was a classic example of the finest margins deciding the end result. Cole Palmer missed a glorious chance to equalise after Pedro Neto had halved Chelsea’s deficit. But you make your own luck, as they say, and that certainly applies to a Leeds outfit who refused to sit on their two-goal advantage and instead looked to build on it.
The home side flew out of the blocks in the second half and very nearly went 3-0 up.
It was notable how often Daniel Farke would instruct his team to push up, and avoid letting themselves be penned in. Their brave pressing had the desired effect, too, when Noah Okafor pounced on a mix-up and Dominic Calvert-Lewin tapped in the winner from barely a yard out.
And ask yourselves this; while there is certainly an element of risk involved playing the way Leeds did against a dangerous Chelsea side, even at 2-0 up, is it really any riskier than sacrificing all your attacking intent and praying that the opposition keep missing chances throughout an entire second-half?
“Unbelievable atmosphere tonight, playing one of the best sides in the world, and to win this game and also deserve to,” Farke beamed after Leeds saw off a Chelsea side who put five past West Ham at the London Stadium.
“[We were] back to our best defensive behaviour, scored three goals, could have scored perhaps even a few more.
“It was a tough night when you had to suffer a bit. Chelsea had lots of possession, but I think there’s also no doubt that we deserve to win this game. We were better in shots and shots on target, the ‘expected goals’ and chances, big chances, so set pieces…
“So I think we deserve to win this game and this is a great feeling for us.”
Should West Ham go 2-0 up at Old Trafford for the second visit in succession, then, Nuno could maybe do worse than to take a leaf out of Farke’s book.
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