Adrian Clarke looks at key tactical points and players who can be decisive in Matchweek 31.
Player analysis - Kurt Zouma
West Ham United’s most influential defender is Zouma, as they prepare to welcome leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
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He has missed several matches this season through injury, but when he has been in their starting line-up, it makes a tremendous difference.
Winning 83.9 per cent of his aerial duels and 69.77 per cent of all duels, his strength and athleticism make West Ham a tougher side to break down.
This is reflected in the number of wins they have collected and in the number of goals the team concedes.
Remarkably their win ratio jumps from 10 per cent to 36.8 per cent when Zouma starts.
West Ham with and without Zouma 22/23
| Zouma starts | Non-Zouma starts | |
| Matches | 19 | 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 7 | 1 |
| Goals conceded | 22 | 19 |
| Goals conceded per 90 | 1.16 | 1.90 |
| Average points | 1.2 | 0.7 |
One of Zouma’s core responsibilities at London Stadium this Sunday will be to keep Gabriel Jesus quiet.
Jesus has been incredibly sharp all season, enjoying 10.07 touches inside the box per 90 minutes, more than any other Premier League striker.
The way Zouma approaches the task of shackling him will make fascinating viewing and in one-v-one’s, he is excellent.
Zouma has been dribbled past by an opponent just four times all season, so when Jesus inevitably runs at him, he will be well equipped to cope.
Zouma's defensive statistics 22/23*
| Per 90 | PL rank | |
| Headed shots | 0.6 | 4th |
|---|---|---|
| Duel success % | 69.77 | 4th |
| Clearances | 5.33 | 5th |
| Dribbled past by opponent | 0.22 | 7th |
| Headed clearances | 2.83 | 7th |
*Defenders with minimum 15 starts
Arsenal will respect Zouma’s strength in both penalty boxes and must try to avoid sending a stream of high crosses into the area.
Their best way of slicing through this deep-lying and compact West Ham defence is through quality passing and movement.
It should be a good battle between attack and defence.
David Moyes' side responded to his side’s 5-1 loss at home to Newcastle United with a typically pragmatic clean sheet victory at Fulham.
Conceding 76.6 per cent of possession, the Hammers set up in a deep, narrow 4-4-2 formation and they defended their penalty box with great resilience.
Fulham’s tally of 0.68 Expected Goals was testament to the way they kept the home side at bay.
Working together
When you take a look at the defensive actions produced by centre-backs Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna at Craven Cottage, you see a clear pattern.
Neither defender was drawn away from the centre very often and they protected the box exceptionally well, making 25 clearances between them.
It was a similar story with the West Ham full-backs.
In possession they did venture forward at the right times, but when the hosts had the ball they regularly sat in protecting the own defensive third.
Their defensive actions on this chalkboard below are akin to those you might usually see from a centre-back.
In essence, Moyes opted to set up with four defenders across the width of the 18-yard box and for the visit of Arsenal, this mindset and tactical approach is very likely to be repeated.
West Ham will need Zouma to be at his dominant best if they are to deal Arsenal's title hopes a blow.
