A wounded beast is often the most dangerous, so West Ham United will be wary of a Manchester City riposte when Pep Guardiola’s Champions League chumps arrive at the London Stadium this weekend.
The 2023 treble winners were crushed under Ernesto Valverde’s rhino-like footsteps in the Spanish capital; Real Madrid and their three-goal Uruguayan stomping all over City in a 3-0 first-leg drubbing.
It may seem a little ambitious to suggest West Ham United could look to do to Pep Guardiola what Los Blancos did at the Santiago Bernabeu – recent resurgence aside, Real Madrid they are not – but there are certainly a few lessons Nuno Espirito Santo can take and apply to his own pre-match blueprint.
The fixture we all dread… 😮💨
How on earth can West Ham beat City WITHOUT Summerville?
Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between West Ham United and Brentford on March 9, 2026 in London, England.
West Ham United can hurt Manchester City through the lines
In a week where Atletico deepened Tottenham Hotspur’s woes and Chelsea were thumped 5-2 in Paris, former Hammers defender Alvaro Arbeloa hit back at his critics.
Arbeloa, in as interim following the January departure of Xabi Alonso, now has one foot firmly placed in the Champions League quarter-finals.
What was particularly noticeable was how easy his Madrid side found it playing through the lines. The ferocious high press which characterised City in previous years seems to be a thing of the past. Real Madrid effortlessly carved open a sluggish midfield two of Rodri and Bernardo Silva, drawn out by the positioning of deep-lying playmaker Thiago Pitarch and exposed by the drifting of Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler.
Pep Guardiola during Real Madrid v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League
Photo by Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images
Since replacing Alphonse Areola last month, only Alisson and Gianluigi Donnarumma have a better pass completion rate than Mads Hermansen. Chelsea loanee Axel Disasi is an excellent passer of the ball, too. Nuno may also opt to bring in Jean-Clair Todibo, while Mateus Fernandes excels when picking up possession deep, drawing opponents in and spinning away.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Some metrics say that Fernandes is the most ‘press resistant’ midfielder in the Premier League right now.
There is a fine line between bravery and foolishness. But, if they can avoid giving away the ball in dangerous areas, West Ham should benefit from a proactive approach to their build-up play.
“This Man City gets beat by one ball [pass]. This Man City has no backline,” former Leeds winger turned CBS pundit Mike Grella said. “They were getting played through the midfield like a team that had never played together.
“They can’t stop the bleeding at the back.”
Get Jarrod Bowen and Adama Traore running in behind
For Real’s first goal, Thibaut Courtois opted to go long in behind Nico O’Reilly. As impressive and as versatile as he may be, O’Reilly is not a natural left-back and it showed here.
Valverde breezed past him for the opener. Abdukodir Khusanov fared a little better on the other flank but, with Matheus Nunes the usual starter, there is a very real chance that City will arrive at the London Stadium without a so-called ‘proper’ full-back on their team sheet.
Unfortunately for Nuno, West Ham will not have Crysencio Summerville to call upon. Still, Jarrod Bowen is back on the goal trail while Adama Traore can step into Summerville’s shoes after an exciting 45 minutes against Brentford.
Traore famously terrorised Guardiola’s backline while scoring twice in a 2-0 Wolves win back in 2019. Hit Guardiola’s makeshift full-backs hard, test their pace and their positioning, and West Ham should have at least some joy.
“It’s difficult sometimes to control transitions when we lose the ball and [the opposition] connect,” Guardiola sighed at full-time.
“After conceding the first one we lost completely the control, we stopped controlling transitions and second balls,” added an irate Bernardo Silva. “When you play against Real Madrid with the quality they have you pay the price.”
How would YOU set the Hammers up against Man City? ⚒️ v 🩵
Three at the back? Another start for Kante and Pablo?
West Ham v Man City perfect line-up
Double up on Pep Guardiola’s wingers
Now, this may be easier said than done. West Ham know how good Jeremy Doku can be, having tried to sign the Belgian speedster before his £55 million move to the Etihad.
Doku, Savinho, Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki are all wide players with very different profiles, but Real Madrid did a superb job marking City’s wingers out the game.
Doku looked destined to cause havoc up against Trent Alexander-Arnold; much-maligned in the Spanish press for his weak defending. But the work-rate of Valverde ensured that Doku was seldom in a one-v-one situation.
It was the same on the other flank, where Savinho and Semenyo struggled up against Ferland Mendy – only recently back from injury – and the oft-criticised Fran Garcia.
Man City can tear teams apart if they get their wingers in the game, so Nuno will have to find a way to balance a counter-attacking threat with a solid out of possession-shape. Fortunately, this is where the former Wolves and Nottingham Forest boss excels.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has shut down Doku before, particularly in that 2024 FA Cup final. While not quite an elite defensive full-back, El Hadji Malick Diouf did outshine Amad Diallo during a recent draw with Man United.
Ensure Bowen and Traore are tracking back, doubling up and protecting their partners, and City’s wingers might not have anywhere to go.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox