A section of West Ham fans have taken to Twitter to express their delight as the starting line-up was announced to face Liverpool at Anfield this afternoon.
Five of the new signings – goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, Ryan Fredericks, Fabian Balbuena, Jack Wilshere and Felipe Anderson – have all made the first team for the opening clash, with two more arrivals making the substitutes’ bench.
5️⃣ new signings in our starting line-up! pic.twitter.com/2A8WR21Xo2
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 12, 2018
Manuel Pellegrini is in charge of his first competitive fixture for West Ham this afternoon after taking up the helm earlier this summer.
Some fans have been drooling over the strength of the bench, with one commenting “strength on bench is impressive”.
Forever West Ham has rounded up some of the best tweets below:
Looks good on paper. Will be a tough game today. Hopefully we put in a good performance and get something from the game
— Mark Speller (@marks_WHUFC85) August 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/conil07/status/1028615143138254849
Great team for starters, Good luck to our Irons ⚒⚒⚒
— Tony skelton (@SkeltonTony) August 12, 2018
B U Z Z I N G ! ! !
— Realistic Irons (@RealisticIrons) August 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/imran484_khan/status/1028606021948895232
Now that's the squad the fans deserve. Options everywhere. Love it, just just love it ⚒️
— Carl B #SBOUT (@HitchinCarl) August 12, 2018
Our Bench is stronger than Liverpools! Coyi ⚒
— Jon Hewitt ⚒ (@Jonhewitt1980) August 12, 2018
OPINION
These West Ham fans have a right to be excited by the line-up for this match, especially as it includes five of their new signings, with two more on the bench. They praise the depth of the substitutes as well, which would not have been the case last year. Pellegrini has made some significant changes and the supporters seem to recognise that, and they will undoubtedly have their fingers crossed for a positive result against Liverpool. The Reds will prove to be an incredibly tough opponent, and this match will prove to be a stern first test for the new arrivals. None of the Hammers’ faithful appear to be fearful of Liverpool in the slightest, and they have no reason to looking at the names on the team sheet. Some stunning transfer business has taken place at the London Stadium this summer, and hopefully the fans will reap the benefits of what they can potentially offer to the squad.
