Park the bus and let Ravel Morrison roam: How West Ham can shock Chelsea

Ravel Morrison

West Ham face a tricky return to Premier League football after the international break as they host Chelsea at Upton Park on Saturday evening. Title contenders such as Chelsea don’t often make for welcome guests, but a recent wobble at home to West Brom has left the Blues looking vulnerable, and youngster Ravel Morrison could prove key if the Hammers want a result.

The 20-year-old had a promising start to his career blighted by issues off the field, but has broken through this season with a new-found maturity and looks an even greater talent on the pitch.

In West Ham’s best result of the season Morrison produced a stunning solo goal to help his side earn a fantastic 3-0 win at Tottenham. He works hard between boxes – as his heat map from White Hart Lane shows – but it’s these flashes of brilliance that can really cause damage.

With Sam Allardyce’s new tactic of playing without a striker, it’s up to West Ham’s attacking midfielders to do the job. Morrison is the Hammers’ top scorer with three Premier League goals in ten games and, with team-mates Mark Noble and Stewart Downing creating 41 chances between them this season, he will undoubtedly keep adding to that tally.

The England U21 star isn’t a one-trick pony though. His passing accuracy of 87 per cent is the best of West Ham’s regular starters, and in the defeat at Norwich – in which he also scored – he completed a staggering 35 out of 38 passes.

Chelsea have looked vulnerable at times this season, particularly when they’ve dominated games but been frustrated by the opposition’s defence; a classic example being their 2-0 defeat at Newcastle. With Frank Lampard particularly off-colour for the Blues, there’s a chance for Morrison and co. to exploit gaps between midfield and defence, especially on the counter-attack.

Against West Brom, they could also only register five successful crosses out of 41 attempts, while Mourinho’s men also had 17 shots, five of which were saved and six of them blocked. Winston Reid has been a rock at the back for West Ham and is the master of making clearances, so Chelsea could find themselves frustrated at one end and vulnerable at the other.

The Hammers have not had it all their way this season, though. Goals have come at a premium, with only nine scored in 11 games; just Sunderland and Crystal Palace have scored fewer. Overall, however, they have been defensively solid; Chelsea have in fact shipped just one goal fewer than their opponents from east London.

If Allardyce’s side can hold firm at the back and annoy Mourinho by – to use his parlance – “parking the bus”, Morrison’s pace and trickery could just be West Ham’s ticket to a positive result at Stamford Bridge.