With rumours a plenty and having secured four signings already, West Ham have made a good start to the season without having played a single minute of football. The opening fixture is a welcome visit of Tottenham Hotspur but how will the ‘new look’ West Ham line-up?
Out With the Old…
Firstly, let’s start with the most used line-up last season so we can compare the changes easily.
This side was pretty lacklustre in the majority of its performances. Each player included made the most appearances in their position.
The Current 11
So, fast forward to today and on to the starting 11 that I would choose to face Spurs.
Defence
Adrian will of course remain in goal. I feel Winston Reid will be back to his best and hopefully stay fit to secure a permanent partnership with James Tomkins. Guy Demel is the best option at right-back, and he performed admirably last season. Exciting left-back Aaron Cresswell will be our main man down the left hand side if his performances in the Championship are anything to go by.
Midfield
Hammer of the Year Mark Noble may well be the man who dons the armband this season if Kevin Nolan can be kept out of the side. In my starting 11, he would certainly be the captain. New boy Cheikhou Kouyate will join Mark in holding the midfield, allowing the more adventurous Ravel Morrison to excel himself freely. Matt Jarvis and Stewart Downing will be the wingmen who will hopefully deliver a better quality of crosses this coming term.
Attack
Not a lot to discuss here, Andy Carroll is the club record signing and the talisman behind Big Sam’s West Ham. He will be chosen when fit and rightly so. Mauro Zarate, Carlton Cole, Ricardo Vaz Te, and Modibo Maiga are currently West Ham’s back-up options, and to be used in that order.
It wasn’t until the point of selecting my personal starting eleven at which I realised the strength of options that we currently have in the middle of the park. Each week (dependent of injuries) Big Sam will have to choose 2 or likely 3 out of: Noble, Nolan, Kouyate, Morrison, Diame, and Diego Poyet. It would be tough to choose 3 out of that selection that I would be disappointed in seeing.
In With the New
As aforementioned, there are still many transfer rumours flying around. West Ham are currently rumoured to be in talks with long-time Liverpool target Yevhen Konoplyanka who is a 24-year-old winger. Many reports are also claiming that West Ham lead the way for the Ecuadorian striker, Enner Valencia. The 24-year-old currently plays in Mexico and is eyeing a move to Europe.
So with that in mind, how would my starting 11 change if West Ham were to secure these two signings?
Well, here’s what could be West Ham’s starting line-up come August 16th if you are to believe everything you read in the papers. Yevhen Konoplyanka is an extremely exciting prospect and following Matt Jarvis’ disappointing season he would be sure to steal the Englishmen’s starting place. A bit of healthy competition. As for Enner Valencia, as I said before, Andy Carroll is the talisman and really isn’t going to be pushed out of the squad by anybody when fit, but Valencia would be a welcome addition to the back-ups and hopefully prise Modibo Maiga out of the door for good.
What do you make of these line-ups?
Do you feel the squad has improved in terms of the starting 11 and in depth?
Who would you choose differently to me for the opening game starting 11?
We will not sign konoplaya and valencia-it will be 1 or the other unless we can move some players on and gain some funds.
If not then its or the other and then probably a couple of loan deals.
I think we missed out on tom ince really-that and say valencia would of allowed us to sell downing or jarvis and still have 3 good widemen with zarate also able to play there making 4.
If it ere me id be looking to do some kind of player exchange with arsenal or liverpool involving diame and either marting kely or jenkinson tus gving us a really good young right back to take over from demel.
And if we can shit on vaz t and maiga and gain a little extra cash maybe look at steven fletcher from sunderland to back up carroll.
that then would allow you to look at the signing of konop or valencia as purely a wideman signing,also look at zarate a s more of a wideman which would allow you to move on downing or jarvis who were both major dissapointments last season and take a punt o scott sinclair on loan.
my fianl move would be
wait for it
fellaini on a loan for the season with a view to buy
Hahaha,exciting and wear ham don’t belong in the same sentence.With a team like that I’m sure the rest of the league would be shiting themselves,west ham is a joke and this article is a joke,the quality of GIFS showing the formation is poor like the manager,owner and players this club possesses,the embarrassment of London,forever in the shadows of Chelsea,Arsenal,Tottenham and Crystal Palace
If you think Valencia will be coming to play back up to Carroll I think you are sorely mistaken. You do not spend £12 million on a back up. Valencia will be brought in to play.
I can’t see any reason why we can’t use all of them at different times. In fact, I hope that’s exactly what Sam will do. He Has enough quality with these new arrivals, which will hopefully include another quality striker, to ring the changes and keep the opposition off balance, just asthe top teams do
Cant zarate play down the right? Im sure i read that somewhere.
If so then a 4-4-2 with him and morrison attacking Midfield with valencia and carroll up front. Maybe a bit adventurous but theres 4 goal threats there. If we buy konoplyanka then zarate as striker sub and morrison creating havoc in the midfield.
Signing Konoplyanka AND valencia tho…. very optimistic!!
Yes I think Zarate could play in Nolan role or on either wing. I think we are bidding on Konoplyanka and Valencia but will want one only – I think either could lead the line or play on the wing but in that role hopefully could also chip in with the odd goal or two.
COYI
I think that they are going to change the formation into a 3-4-3!
This what it would look like:
Valencia Carroll Zarate
Morrison
Diame Kouyate
Noble
Tomkins Reid Collins
Adrian
Haha
Nice try
Too much Fifa me thinks
BFS is not going to play 3-4-4 he is a die hard back four manager and the signing of Cresswell proves it.. The big no huge question is will he axe Nolan to fit in Morrison or Zarate I bet he doesn’t.
Javis dissappointing season….. YAWN…
Come on…
He was the only one to show pace and never gave up – Nolan…. yes, Diame…… YES…. Cole….yes
Jarvis….? Where you watching??
4 2 3 1 … he will always start with a target man.
I think Valencia is a big mistake for £12m. My friend has seen him play a lot when he was working in Mexico last year and he says he will not cut it in the premier league. He will not cope with the pace of the game week in week out.
I hope he’s wrong and this is not a world cup flash in the pan.
Think about it, he’s 25, south American and not already playing in spain ?
Suggests the top European clubs have never fancied him, and he was available for £4m last year apparently.
£8m added for a couple of world cup goals !
How much homework have they really done on him?
My starting 11
Adrian
Reid Tomkins Collins Demel
Morrison Diame Kouyate Poyet
Carroll Zarate
Go 4-4-2
As we saw in the world cup 2 or even 3 strikers gets results.
Forget Nolan & Noble. It was only Pablo Armero who was good enough from West Ham to play in Brazil & now even he has gone. Things need shaking up badly.
You have no lb dude ?
Are you even a West Ham fan???
No Noble??
and Reid at left back..?
Morrison and Poyet on the wings?
You clearly have no idea how a team should work.
Adrian
Demel Tomkins Reid Cresswell
Poyet kouyate noble (cap)
Morrison
Carroll Zarate
Poyet playmaker
Kouyate/Noble holding mf
Morrison free role to attack and support forwards
Carroll up front with Zarate attacking either central or off the right
Cresswell can provide wb supported by Morrison as needed
Do not want Demel to stray much from RB as too slow getting back
Possibly bring downing on for poyet if things not working and Zarate move to lw, downing to rw. Remember that Zarate played 10 for his Argentine club and cut in from lw to use his devastating right foot.