5 Possible Formations that West Ham Can Play Next Season

West Ham tried a lot of things last season, notably in the way they tried lining up.

The good news is that while some of them didn’t work it didn’t end up being too costly for the club and West Ham managed to salvage a mid-table finish despite the fact that at one point, one scary point it looked like they were going to be relegation threatened.

As such it’s worth taking a look ahead to next season. What formation will Slaven Bilic deem as the side’s “strongest”? And will he be signing players to play a certain way? Or see who he ends up with and go from there?

The Classic: 4-4-2

If you asked your Dad how football should be played, aside from the comments about how much footballers are paid now, he’d tell you that it’s played in a 4-4-2 formation. He’d probably say you need a big man and a little man up front as well.

If West Ham sign Iheanacho then this is a viable formation. Play him alongside Carroll/Giroud (again conditional) and watch the classic football start. Keep the back four as it is, allow Obiang and Kouyate/Fernandes to operate in the middle and go from there. Wide players like Antonio and Ayew will add strength into the middle and really allow the play to unfold.

However it does leave out Manuel Lanzini. In a two man midfield he isn’t really physically imposing enough to make a dent, and you certainly don’t want him defending too often. Will Slaven Bilic go for this formation? Unlikely.