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A View from the Other Side: A Liverpool fan gives his view on West Ham clash

By Scott Johnson

(FILE PHOTO - Image Numbers 502931146 (L) and 493045240 - EDITORS NOTE: A Gradient has been added) In this composite image a comparison has been made between Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool and Manuel Pellegrini, manager of Manchester City. Liverpool and Manchester City meet in the Capital One Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on February 28, 2016 in London,England. ***LEFT IMAGE*** SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool looks on before the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Liverpool at Stadium of Light on December 30, 2015 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) ***RIGHT IMAGE*** MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Manuel Pellegrini, manager of Manchester City looks on prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and A.F.C. Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium on October 17, 2015 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
(FILE PHOTO - Image Numbers 502931146 (L) and 493045240 - EDITORS NOTE: A Gradient has been added) In this composite image a comparison has been made between Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool and Manuel Pellegrini, manager of Manchester City. Liverpool and Manchester City meet in the Capital One Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on February 28, 2016 in London,England. ***LEFT IMAGE*** SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool looks on before the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Liverpool at Stadium of Light on December 30, 2015 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) ***RIGHT IMAGE*** MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 17: Manuel Pellegrini, manager of Manchester City looks on prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and A.F.C. Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium on October 17, 2015 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) /
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West Ham are set to take on Liverpool at Anfield, as the Premier League opens for action. What do the Liverpool fans think of the clash?

As fans are looking to the start of the Premier League, it’s only right that we look at West Ham’s first clash with Liverpool. But we’ve all read lots of optimistic predictions from fellow Hammers, what about the other side? So we went to Rush The Kop, and asked their nice writer Chris Martin for their view.

You can see the opposite article on their site, here!

Liverpool have made a number of headline signings this summer, with Keita, Allisson and Shaqiri all joining. Which one do you think will make the biggest impact in the league?

Firstly, I’m very excited by Liverpool’s transfer business this window. I think they’ve addressed a number of key areas. If I had to pick just one, I’d probably lean towards Keita. He’s a player that takes up some great positions in midfield and has already been linking well with the forwards in pre-season. Hopefully he will help break down teams at Anfield and turn those draws into wins.

With these new players has the side gelled in pre-season? Or is there still some rust on the cogs?

There was definitely some rust at the start of pre-season, but by the team they left for the US tour they looked sharp. We saw a strong side against Napoli on Saturday and they won 5-0. Unfortunately for premier league defenders, Mane and Salah look really hungry to get started.

Given Liverpool had a solid year, will we see any major changes in Liverpool’s set up from last season?

It’s unlikely they’ll be huge changes to the way they play, it’s more that they have signed better players to fit into the existing system. If there are any tweaks it may be that Klopp pushes another forward into the equation, making it more of a 4-2-4. He experimented with this on the last day of last season.

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West Ham’s last win at Anfield was inspired by the midfield pairing of Payet and Lanzini, both of whom are not playing on Sunday. Who do you fear, if anyone, could lead the Hammers to a result?

I don’t know too much about some of the new signings at West Ham, but I think Arnautovic represents the biggest threat. Liverpool are likely to lineup with Gomez at center-back and i’m sure he’ll look to match up against him wherever possible. We’ve seen glimpses of what he can do when he’s in the mood, so let’s just hope it’s too hot and he can’t be bothered!

Outside of Salah, who do you think will be Liverpool’s most dangerous player in the opening game?

Liverpool are in the fortunate position of now having a number of game changers. If i was pushed for one name I’d say Mane – he’s looked great from the moment he stepped back on the pitch in pre-season. Most people assume he’s just a winger but in reality he’s much more than that. You’ll see in Sunday that he drops in to collect the ball, and creates a lot of the attacks with very direct play.

Next. Near Perfect Preseason for Hammers and Pellegrini. dark

And obviously, let’s finish with a prediction. How do you see Liverpool’s opening game ending up?

It’s always dangerous to draw any conclusions from pre-season games. We’ve had terrible pre-seasons and gone on to successful campaigns, and vice-versa. That said, it’s encouraging to see how hungry the players have looked. The sense of competition in the squad really has everybody desperate to impress. I think Liverpool will run out winners, and if they score early it could be fairly comfortable. I’d like to think 3-0, but i would be happy with any victory.