Pretty Bubbles are Flying High as West Ham United gets Ready for Season Opener

March 10, 2018. West Ham United suffered a 3-0 home loss inside the much-derided London Stadium vs Burnley. BURNLEY! Not a top 6 club. That day, chaos reigned as fans invaded the pitch and planted a flag in the middle of the surface in a symbolic warning sign to the Club’s Board of Directors and Owners. Enough was enough.

The season-long relegation battle had frayed nerves. A beloved manager had been sacked because he lost the plot. The fans were promised that fortunes would not be hiding with the move away from Boleyn Ground, but that the club would challenge for European Football and a top 6 spot in the table. But that day, frustrations with the board took over and the players, club, and its supporters hit rock bottom together.
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This summer, bubbles fly high as optimism floats over East London and the Hammers in the 20 weeks since that sad Saturday defeat.

The most important West Ham signing of the summer has been the hiring of new Manager Manuel Pellegrini; a football manager whose resume includes a Premiere League Championship just 4 seasons ago with Manchester City. He’s a manager who has taken four different teams in two different leagues into Champions League.

West Ham has never had a manager of this caliber and accomplishment before in their history. Plus, Pellegrini’s teams are known for their attacking, spirited, and beautiful brand of football. Supporters like to refer to that as “The West Ham Way”

A manager with his track record demands respect: from the board, the supporters, his players and most importantly, players across the biggest leagues in Europe and South America. It’s a potent recruiting tool. One in which the Board has taken advantage of in order to avoid a repeat of last year’s negativity on and off the pitch.

The pledge to spend more money, and bring in quality players was a message that had been heard before under the David Gold-David Sullivan-Karen Brady regime. It was a triumvirate unable to get out of their own way at times, however, that has changed in this window.

Even those most skeptical of fans have had their eyes opened wide by the players Pellegrini has brought in backed by the boards significant spending. Nine new Hammers are here, with only one significant departure from the team as fan favorite mid-fielder Cheik Kouyate joined Crystal Palace before the transfer window closed.

On paper, there are improvements all over the pitch. Many football experts are calling this the best summer of transfers in West Ham history. Certainly most all agree this is the best summer signing window of any EPL team not named Liverpool. Now that talent has to be transferred to garnering results on the pitch.

But the pieces are in place:

–Filipe Anderson. 25-year-old Attacking Midfielder. The club shattered its previous trade spending record ($25m last year for Marko Arnautovic) for the player Pelligrini called an absolute must-acquire for the Club.

–Jack Wilshire. 26-year-old midfielder acquired as a Free Agent from Arsenal. Wilshere grew up on the East End as a Hammers fan. He has 25 caps for England’s International Squad. He has appeared in Champions League games. His quality is proven in EPL. But Arsenal also has a new manager with his own ideas and Wilshere was deemed as surplus requirements to the Gunners.

–Andry Yarmalenko 28-year-old attacking forward. Another player with major European experience, from Ukraine. He has played for Dynamo Kiev and Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga. Scored 143 goals in 367 games as a pro. He battled a knock towards the end of preseason, but when fit, figures to be in the starting 11.

–Lucas Fabianski– 33-year-old Goalkeeper. The Swans got relegated and WHU swooped in to get him; presumably to challenge Adrian for the top G spot. Nobody made more saves in EPL than Fabianski last season.

–Ryan Fredericks; 25 years old; Right Back. Known for his speed and attacking ability down the right side, he is the replacement for last year’s RB Pablo Zabaleta who is now 34 years old and is kept around for his leadership and squad depth, Major upgrade here.

–Issa Diop; 21 yr old Defender; from Toulouse in French League. Tall, Big defender with his best football in front of him. Could eventually challenge to be a starter alongside Angelo Ogbanna after he gets settled. With James Collins gone (34) and Winston Reid hurt (30), this is an infusion of youth needed at WHU

-Fabian Balbuena 26-year-old Defender. Another defender signed on the proper side of 30 years old. WHU gave up the most goals (tied) in the EPL last year (68 allowed in 38 league games), brought in to settle the defense. Figures to start in week 1 as part of a back four.

–Lucas Perez; 29-year-old forward; and another player the Hammers snagged from Arsenal. Lucas can play anywhere along the frontlines and figures to add depth at striker behind Chicharito and Arnie at the position. Especially with the long-term injury to Andy Carroll and the departure of last year’s little-used January signing Jordan Hugill.

–Carlos Sanchez; 32-year-old Midfielder. A squad player that will provide depth in the holding midfield role behind youngster Declan Rice and Pedro Obiang. Coming off the World Cup with Columbia, a team he has made 88 caps within his career.

That is a total of 9 new players signed, at a total expense of over 100 million Euros. The OLDEST signing outside of Sanchez is 29. Last year, the YOUNGEST Signing WHU made in the summer was 28 and the team spent 40 Million total.

Youth, speed, and experience at the highest levels of football have been injected into the team. Of the nine incumbent, a case can be made that six will be in the starting XI vs Liverpool on Sunday.

All of these players added to a West Ham team that STILL has: Marko Arnautovic; Chicharito, Michael Antonio, Arthur Masuaku, Aaron Cresswell, Pedro Obiang, Mark Noble, Pablo Zabaleta, Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice, Robert Snodgrass, and Adrian. And of course; injured players, Lanzini, Carroll, and Reid.

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What Manuel Pellegrini has done is create depth and competition among every position on the team. He has added youth and speed across the board—so he can play his style of football. The roster as currently constructed also allows the Manager to be flexible on the system and set up the plays. During the pre-season friendlies. the Hammers set up in a 4-4-2, a 4-1-4-1, 4-2-3-1 and a 4-2-2-2.

Under Slav, the Hammers always played one system and when it failed, the result was likely a loss. Same thing under David Moyes. He set up the team “not to lose” because of the relegation battle, and mission accomplished. But when employing a 5 at the back system favored by Moyes, WHU rarely took it to other opponents in the last year.   Unlike the high water mark 2015-2016 season when the Hammers showed up to play and win nearly every week behind the performances of Dimitri Payet, Manu Lanzini, and Michael Antonio.

Optimism is higher heading into this season than it has been for Hammers fans at any point in the last decade or more. It starts with the Manage, then with the board spending 100 million to acquire new players. There seems to be a plan in place for recruitment, which hasn’t been the case recently.

A word of caution—with that many new players injected into the squad, it could take some time for this team to jell and for Pellegrini to figure out his favored combinations.

Projected Starting 11 vs Liverpool on Sunday 4-2-3-1

Arnautovic

Anderson                                              Wilshire                                           Antonio

Noble                                                     Rice

Cresswell                                Ogbonna                    Balbuena                   Fredericks

Fabianski

A result of any kind vs Liverpool at Anfield would be a great kickoff to this campaign for the Hammers squad—new and old, and supporters who just want football that they can be proud of and sing about. Unlike the way last season ended.