Everton are set for a tough battle at West Ham today, and they will be facing one of the most in-form players in the Premier League in James Ward-Prowse.
The England international joined from Southampton this summer as West Ham attempted to replace Declan Rice, and he has made an incredible impact in East London.
The 28-year-old has scored twice and assisted seven times in 12 games across all competitions for the Hammers, and he will be one of their key threats today, particularly from set-pieces.
He has scored an astonishing 17 free-kick goals in the Premier League in his career, a total only bettered by David Beckham, and Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has now explained how his side plan to counter this threat.
Pickford: Everton can stop Ward-Prowse
Speaking to club media, Pickford, who has featured in England squads with Ward-Prowse, explained how he plans to stop the midfielder’s dangerous threat from set plays.
“They’ve got players like [Michail] Antonio. He’s powerful, will run down the channel, he’ll hold the ball up well. Prowsey (James Ward-Prowse), who has top-class delivery,” he stated.
“But it’s about us as well, not worrying too much about them. It’s about us doing our job properly and getting the result.
“He (Ward-Prowse) works hard on his set pieces. When you execute it, all that hard work on the training pitch pays off. You’ve got to take your hat off to him for that but come Sunday hopefully he’s very quiet.”
When asked if the presence of Ward-Prowse will change Everton’s preparations, Pickford remained confident in his side.
“No, I wouldn’t say so. You’ve just got to prepare properly. We focus on the details of corners in training. We’ve got to take every little detail into consideration and give 100 per cent concentration on the training pitch to be ready for the game on Sunday.”
Everton’s set-piece defending
Everton have conceded four times from set-pieces this season, one of the worst records in the Premier League, only behind Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Sheffield United.
This stat is made considerably worse by the fact that Everton have, on average, the tallest side in the division, and the poor record may point to a lack of decisiveness on defensive tactics.
When coming up against a player with the delivery ability of Ward-Prowse, Sean Dyche’s side will have to be extra vigilant not to give fouls away on the edge of the box, and to carefully mark the likes of Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio, who are dangerous in the air.
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