Dogged and Defending,

Of course, the new formation places extra emphasis on the full-backs to provide the necessary width. Two new arrivals have helped with that. Aaron Creswell represents a significant upgrade at left-back and has already earned the moniker of Mr Dependable from his manager. But he brings offensive qualities too – as shown by his winner against Newcastle.

On the other flank, Carl Jenkinson has been enjoying himself on loan from Arsenal. While getting forward to good effect, defensive duties remain at the heart of his job. “We focus on defending in training and we do a lot of work on one-v-ones and heading and I feel I’ve developed in those areas,” Jenkinson told the Guardian earlier this month. This diligent defensive work has helped West Ham – only four teams have conceded fewer goals.

That only two teams in the Premier League have made fewer errors leading to a shot or goal highlights the importance Allardyce continues to place on minimising risk, encouraging his players to play their football in the opposition half. West Ham rank among the top three for clearances and the top four in the division for headed clearances. They do the basics well.

James Tomkins is improving and Winston Reid is arguably one of the strongest pure defenders in the country. Individually, Reid ranks among the top six for clearances and headed clearances, and Allardyce’s recent suggestion that it would take £20million to even talk about a sale stresses his significance to the team.