After a two minute feeling out period, West Ham United was the first club to see sustained pressure, if you can call a few dead ball opportunities in the Birmingham City third pressure. A corner kick from the left by Mark Noble and a set piece from the right given after a somewhat foolishly given Roger Johnson foul. Neither play stressed Ben Foster, but they were the first legitimate signs of action Sunday at Upton Park.
West Ham United Vs. Birmingham City: Hammers Set Pieces The Only Action Of Meek First 15 Minutes
With Scott Parker, Mark Noble and Gary O'Neil in the middle, West Ham has come out in a 4-3-3 formation, with Frederic Piquionne, Robbie Keane and Victor Obinna in advanced roles. As the match approached the 10th minute, the shape Avram Grant's employing forced Parker into some extra work along the left flank, Alex McLeish's early love affair with David Bentley seeing Birmingham City become a very right-leaning team.
McLeish has his side in a predictable 4-4-2, with Lee Bowyer looking to play narrow as a left-sided midfielder, putting some onus on Liam Ridgewell's ability to get forward and create some width. With the Blues making their entries down the right flank, Ridgewell's contributions to attack may prove irrelevant, with Stephen Carr's overlapping of Bentley from right back proving a more frequent feature of McLeish's plan.
None of which he yielded chances on Robert Green, to this point. The only Birmingham City shot was a week left-footed from an in-cutting Bentley in the eighth minute. Now in the 14th minute, the score remains 0-0.
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