We spoke to Michael Oliver of Read West Ham ahead of Norwich’s match with the Hammers.
Who should Norwich be wary of?
Any number of West Ham players will be able to cause problems for Norwich. Obviously you need to kick things off with Dimitri Payet, who’s probably in the top two or three ‘best buys of the summer’ thus far. He’ll find those pockets of space between the midfield and defence and look to exploit them. Best at running at players, it’ll be a tough ask for the Norwich defence to track the run of the forwards while also dealing with Payet’s creativity.
West Ham struggled with injuries early to to their strikers with Carroll, Valencia and Zarate but people forgot that the best one of the lot was actually still fit and firing! Diafra Sakho is a bully. He’s got enough pace to work the channels along with a knack of finding the next, just like he did at Anfield and at the Etihad. Keeping him quiet will be key.
Which Norwich player do you fear the most?
I’ve always been a big fan of Nathan Redmond. In my opinion he’s probably Norwich’s most talented player, especially in possession. Cresswell and Jenkinson have struggled so far this season against fast wingers like Max Gradel and Riyad Mahrez, so Redmond could pose a similar problem
Has Matt Jarvis’ form with Norwich surprised West Ham fans?
To be honest we’re so overjoyed that someones taken him off our hands, albeit on a temporary basis that we don’t see it as a loss of much significance. I’m surprised he’s started off so well. He always had the ability to beat a man on either foot and whip the ball in, but he never showed this kind of goalscoring prowess for us
West Ham have had a very good start to the season, where will they finish?
At the start of the season I predicted a 9th place finish in the league. Despite our fantastic start I’d still deem that to be a very solid season under Bilic. I don’t want to get drawn in by the allure of a possible top six place if our form continues just yet. Although, if the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham and Southampton continue to struggle then anything’s possible.
Who has been West Ham’s most promising summer signing?
Dimitri Payet. He’s been a revolution. It seems we’ve finally found a really, really good player.
Predicted XI?
Adrian; Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell; Kouyate, Noble; Moses, Payet, Lanzini; Sakho
Score Prediction?
2-0. Comfortable win for West Ham. Not sure Norwich have the attacking firepower to cause many issues.
