Julen Lopetegui has announced his first ‘post transfer window’ squad with of course Carlos Soler arriving too late to be registered for the game today: Of his players, only Aaron Cresswell is absent injured. Other than that, he has a fully-fit and available squad to select from. The team chosen today is what many would call the ‘strongest possible’ depending on where you stand in the Todibo v Mavropanos debate.
Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson, Alvarez, Rodriguez, Paqueta, Bowen, Kudus, Antonio
Notably there is no place in the Starting eleven for Tomas Soucek ( I had to read it three times to check!) and Vlad Coufal.
Wan-Bissaka (pictured) makes his first full start in Claret and Blue. Scot Andy Irving makes the bench along with 19 year old Kaelan Casey.
Soucek has been seemingly an ever present in the Hammers’ team under Moyes and Lopetegui’s first couple of games: Gonzo even labelled him ‘Undroppable’!
It will be interesting to see how The Hammers perform with arguably a more possession – based midfield with players who are more skilled at picking out a pass. Probably our Czech battering ram and German attacking menace Niclas Fullkrug will be called upon to cause some chaos later in the match. Interestingly, Emerson makes his 85th Club appearance, starting at left-back.
Line up makes sense. Even aiming for possession we’re unlikely to get a whole lot of it against city, so Alvarez Rodriguez makes sense as does Kudus, Bowen, Antonio any of who might hit them on the break.
Looks a good line up, Looetegui is making a strategic change could have been bolder and dropped Antonio played with Bowen as the false 9 and started with Summerville on the left, Kudus on the right.
Still heavy underdogs but hope we click a bit more COYI!!!
Agree with the lineup, but bench looks light without Augerd & Ward-Prowse!!
Antonio will as usual run out of gas early in the second half and city will throw everything at Mavrapanos. Hopefully Paqueta will succeed in trying to impress Pep.
The play is way more fluent without Soucek.
Well so much for Paqueta impressing Pep, or anyone else.
Antonio playing last 20-30 minutes would make more sense (super sub).
Missing.striker? John Duran scored again today!! Say no more.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Danny Ings found a way out of West Ham inside the next 48 hours. Just a thought.