Pellegrini introduces five new signings in his starting lineup at Anfield against Liverpool. Fabianski gets the nod ahead of Adrian who is on the bench. Ryan Fredericks gets his first Premier League debut over Zabaleta while Balbuena gets the nods over Issa Diop who is on the bench. Arthur Masuaku gets the left-back role while Cresswell is missing from the bench suggesting he is still not match fit after suffering an injury in pre-season.
Rice is possibly the surprise addition in midfield to partner Captain Mark Noble and Jack Wilshere.
Record signings Felipe Anderson gets his Premier League debut and Michail Antonio gets the nod ahead Yarmolenko who has been suffering from a hip injury. Marko Arnautovic is of course up front with Chicharito on the bench. Robert Snodgrass and Pedro Obiang complete the seven man bench with no room for Lucas Perez or Carlos Sanchez who only joined on Thursday.
West Ham XI: Fabianski; Fredericks, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Noble, Rice, Wilshere; Anderson, Antonio, Arnautovic.
Subs: Adrian, Diop, Zabaleta, Snodgrass, Obiang, Yarmolenko, Chicharito
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Keita, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane
We’re up for this game……..2-1 or 3-1 Hammers………COYI….
All those signings and we didn’t address the biggest issue which was we conceded the most goals in the league last season. Toughest first game we could have wished for! However all that money spent and the first thing I would have done is sorted out CDM and our full backs. We did neither. Have to go again and stick together but I can see us getting done by 3, 4, 5 goals on occasions this season and that’s good for no ones confidence
If ths crap is the sign of things to come it’s gonna be a long season …first game or playing Liverpool is no excuse …rubbish
You have to say we were completely outgunned in midfield and attack by an excellent team.
All 4 goals that being said were preventable, Fabianski should have cut out the cross for the first goal, I was watching the game in a pub so can’t understand how the rules of the game allow a player that was offside when the crossing of the ball took place and clearly made no attempt to get back onside is not offside when the ball was cut back to him, I understand you can’t be offside from a cut back but it seems grossly unfair that you could effectively be played offside legitimately but then because the ball is cut back to you be onside ? It shouldn’t be upto the defenders to compensate for previously good defensive play, its like rewarding goal hanging anyway the third goal was blatantly offside aswell as being easier for Fabianski to save than to let in and the fourth was poor defending by Rice. All being said I thought that the officials let us down defensively as usual the quality of refereeing at the highest level of the game was found wanting it was so bad I would say if any official has English as their first language they shouldn’t be allowed to referee or officiate in the PL they are just not upto par. On the positives albeit defensively we showed good ability to play the ball out of defence under extreme pressure, sadly our midfield isn’t yet good enough at holding onto the ball to allow attacks to form, furthermore Arnautovic wasn’t supported well enough up top Liverpool always had 3 or 4 in our box to convert chances we only had Arnie. We are definitely a work in progress and will have a better idea next week of what the season holds, against any outside the top four I think with more time on the ball we will create chances because there is a lot of quality but we have to drop Fabianski he is a poor goalkeeper that frequently makes the wrong decision, put Adrian in and stick with him.