**Graham Potter switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation against Nottingham Forest and had the most impressive performance of his West Ham career.**
After nine months in charge of West Ham, Graham Potter may have finally found his formation after his failed experiment with the 5-3-2 system.
Since arriving at the club, Potter has played a back five. It made perfect sense to do that when he arrived in January because we were leaking goals for fun under Julen Lopetegui.
And to be honest, it worked at first; the number of goals conceded decreased massively. But the attack really suffered; we weren’t creating enough chances and therefore scoring enough goals.
Towards the end of the season, Potter moved from a 3-4-3 to a 3-5-2. The Hammers went into this pre-season with the idea of mastering the 5-3-2 formation. It looked pretty promising in pre-season with decent performances against fellow Premier League sides. However, it didn’t continue into the competitive season.
After three defeats in three matches, sitting on 0 points, out of the Carabao Cup, and having conceded eleven goals, Graham Potter decided to make a change ahead of our third PL fixture against Nottingham Forest.
The former Brighton boss switched to a 4-2-3-1 against Forest, and it looked so much better instantly. The first half of the match was boring, but more controlled. We looked tidier in possession and a lot more organised defensively.
However, the introduction of Crysencio Summerville on the left wing gave us something we haven’t seen under Potter much, direct pace.
The Dutchman completely changed the game; the ten minutes he was on the pitch gave Hammers fans some optimism after such a bad start. He came on, assisted a goal, won a penalty, and was involved in the third goal.
Graham Potter needs to make sure he is working on this formation with Summerville on the left and Callum Wilson up top ahead of the games coming after the international break. The game against Tottenham on Saturday afternoon is massive; he needs to get it right, or the pressure will be back on.
**Ideal West Ham lineup vs Tottenham Hotspur**
Hermansen – Walker-Peters – Mavropanos – Kilman – Diouf – Magassa – Fernandes – Paqueta – Bowen – Paqueta – Summerville – Wilson
The back five writes itself after the Forest win; all of them played well. The full-backs shone and both centre-backs were solid, while Hermanses looked a lot more assured between the sticks.
There have been calls for Paqueta to start up front because of Fullkrug’s form and injury; however, Callum Wilson more than deserves to start after his recent substitute cameo and goal vs Forest.
Also, Paqueta had a great understanding with Fernandes in midfield, so it would be silly to change it after we’ve struggled so much in the middle of the park in recent times. Soucek played well against Forest; however, Magassa could take it to the next level if he’s ready to start.
A front three of Summerville, Wilson, and Bowen could really give Tottenham trouble, and they can be got at, as we saw in their match against Bournemouth last weekend. A good performance and a win against Spurs is exactly what Potter needs to get the fans on side.