Betway Cup | New Signings, New System and New Skipper

Normally the final pre-season game is a light-hearted affair. Some years ago I watched a penalty shootout against Anderlect – despite the Hammers losing the game in 90 minutes and the purpose of the spot-kicks being solely of added entertainment for the 17,000 plus attendance.

The atmosphere for the match against Juventus in 2016 was amazing and I was lucky enough to have front row seats (next to the running track and with rubbish perspective) at the ‘official’ inaugural match at London Stadium, along with over 53,000 Hammers supporters, this despite the first competitive match already having taken place three days earlier! Only at West Ham..

This year the fixture against Celta Vigo is likely to be the first showing for many of our new recruits and indeed a first chance to see how Head Coach Lopetegui combines the senior squad members who have missed the Summer tour to Florida.

It will be a dress rehearsal for the Premier League match that follows 7 days later against Aston Villa, so I would not expect to see the wholesale changes at half time that have turned other pre-season games into a bit of a procession. Cyrencio Summerville, Niclas Füllkrug and Guido Rodriguez plus of course Max Kilman and Luis Guilherme should all be available to take their first steps in front of the Claret and Blue faithful on the London Stadium grass.

Wing backs? Flat back four? A lone striker with three behind? It will add a level of intrigue just to see how Hammers’ Head Coach Lopetegui sets  the team up for the match against Celta Vigo. Our opponents are a team hailing from northern Spain who are in their own transitory state having sacked first Luis Campos as Sporting Advisor and then Rafael Benitez as manager earlier this year. Sporting Director Marco Garces and new Coach Claudio Giraldez have been entrusted with a major overhaul of the Celta squad.

No less than 11 players have departed or been loaned out by the Spanish club and they have a total of fourteen new recruits or returners after loans .So our opponents may have a tougher time than West Ham in gelling together and operating as a team! Interestingly, the average age of their ‘incomings’ is just over 24 years old.

Expect to see West Ham taking further steps towards the high press, possession based football of the last three friendlies. In addition, the long diagonal balls onto each wing  to switch the play and start fast attacking moves should be a standout change from last season.

Tickets for Saturdays game which starts at 3.00 pm are one sale from the club and prices start at £15. Weather looks good , too – might be well worth a first look at the ‘Lopetegui style’ at home.  Plus, of course, as previously mentioned – expect our new West Ham United captain – and quite possibly the beautiful new White and Claret Third kit to be unveiled.