Hammers can add to the pressure on Claude Puel

Premier League
Sky Sports Premier League, 5.30pm Saturday

Claude Puel’s knack of polarising opinion among supporters hasn’t been lost since he swapped Southampton for Leicester and the Out camp could be shouting loudest after their showdown with West Ham.

The Leicester boss is under pressure again and a third straight loss following defeats against Everton and Arsenal will do his job prospects no good at all.

Not that any of this is new to the Frenchman.

Despite guiding Southampton to eighth place and a League Cup final, Saints fans wanted him out of St Mary’s at the end of his one season and they got their wish. Then, in spite of leading Leicester from 18th to ninth last term, he steadfastly failed to get majority support from the locals.

Puel is on the edge and West Ham can give him another hefty shove by taking the points.

Foxes’ fans still shudder at the memory of West Ham’s last visit in May, a 2-0 win for the away side which was beyond comfortable.

The Hammers have changed manager and plenty of personnel since then and they are also looking to bounce back from a pair of losses.

But they look a decent spot of value to pull off a victory at the King Power where it won’t take much to ratchet up the pressure on Puel and his underperforming players.

Leicester are short enough for a side incapable of putting 90 minutes football together.

The defeat at Arsenal was typical. For half an hour they were good, and very good in patches while the Gunners dozed. Ben Chilwell’s deflected shot put them in front and suddenly everything changed. Arsenal decided to start playing, Leicester went into their shell and the outcome looked inevitable from the moment Mesut Ozil levelled.

Jamie Vardy, admittedly under the weather, looks a pale shadow of the man whose goals guided Leicester to the title. He’s missing the influence alongside him of the likes of Shinji Okazaki and Riyad Mahrez while the whole team has missed N'Golo Kante.

Leicester have become exceedingly predictable, looking for pace out wide but with a generally patient approach that is losing Puel supporters.

The City boss still talks of a Champions League push and they are five points better off than West Ham.

The Hammers, however, look to be adapting to Pellegrini after a slow start which saw them pointless after four games.

They have failed to score in five of their nine Premier League matches and have several injuries, the most recent of which happened to Andriy Yarmolenko against Tottenham last week.

However, they have an impressive squad now and can cover absenteeism with quality while they have played five members of the big six in their first nine games. Against that background, a return of seven points doesn’t look disastrous.

Last week, in defeat against Tottenham, they were more than decent with only heroics from Hugo Lloris denying them an equaliser.

Recommendation
West Ham draw no bet
1pt 13-8 bet365, Betfair, Betfred

Bet on this game at Soccerbase.com

Team news
Leicester
Jamie Vardy has been ill and is a doubt. Wes Morgan is suspended and Matty James is crocked. Demarai Gray is fit again.

West Ham
Andriy Yarmolenko has joined Jack Wilshere, Pedro Obiang, Winston Reid, Manuel Lanzini, Carlos Sanchez and Andy Carroll on the Hammers’ injured list.

Key stat
Leicester have kept just four clean sheets in 23 fixtures, conceding 43 goals.

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