West Ham's defence made a number of collective mistakes against Tottenham Hotspurs which led the home side to score three quick second-half goals within eight minutes to take a huge 4-1 lead. While the Hammers couldn't manage to avoid Tottenham Hotspurs forwards from creating a lot of big chances, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola should have made some better saves on three goals in that match.
The FIFA World Cup 2018 winning-goalkeeper conceded two goals at the near-post, where he has previously struggled against Manchester City and Chelsea. Further, Areola couldn't make a good save on the third goal, which found the back of the net despite Areola's decent efforts.
Overall, the 31-year-old has conceded 15 goals in eight Premier League matches so far, and manager Julen Lopetegui can decide to start second-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski against Manchester United. Fabianski has played in both Carabao Cup matches this season, and has looked more reliable while making saves on the near-post.
The 39-year-old has a lot of Premier League experience and is decent with his passing and distribution as well. Before last season, Fabianski was the starting goalkeeper for the Hammers and could now again establish himself as a regular starter if he keeps a clean-sheet against Manchester United.
Dropping Areola is a significant decision, as the former Paris Saint-Germain star made a number of brilliant saves including two penalty saves as well towards the second half of the last season. Despite the Hammers struggling to consistently bring good results, Areola helped West Ham to keep a decent goal-difference which could have been important towards the club's ambitions for a top-six Premier League finish.
Next. Former assistant-manager suggests Lopetegui to start 26-year-old star against Manchester United. Former assistant-manager suggests Lopetegui to start 26-year-old star against Manchester United. dark
While Areola starting against Manchester United isn't ruled out, it remains to be seen whether Fabianski can give a better performance against Manchester United as compared to Areola's recent displays. Meanwhile, West Ham would want to take a win from this home fixture as Erik Ten Hag's side are also aiming to qualify for European football next season, thus, a win for the Hammers can be a significant boost to their Premier League campaign.
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