West Ham start preseason with 3-2 win: Match Review

Who impressed?

As for who impressed, we have to look at this from the perspective of each half, as drastically different teams were started. The opening team for the first half was as follows:

"Roberto, Fredericks, Ogbonna, Diop, Johnson, Sanchez, Noble, Lanzini, Snodgrass, Anderson, Antonio"

Roberto was a cool customer in net. He played76 minuted before David Martin replaced him but made all the saves he could. He allowed the two goals, but both were well worked and neither were his fault.

Ryan Fredericks was a stand out star for me. Early on, he looked like a new player defensively, committing to tackles and intercepting the Altach passes down the wing consistently. As the first half carried on, Anderson and he linked up well to press the ball down the wing.

Both Noble and Lanzini were solid together in advanced midfield roles. Noble picked out the long ball on the Antonio goal but was also very visible up and down the pitch playing the box-to-box role. Lanzini was a menace on the interior of the pitch. His ability to turn and run with the ball was superb and he linked up well with Anderson.

Anderson and Antonio were also in great in this match. Both players were crucial in the West Ham attack, and both looked unphased by their opposition throughout their duration of play.

The second half team was as follows:

"Roberto (replaced by David Martin, 76′), Zabaleta, Reid, Diop (replaced by Declan Rice, 68′), Johnson (replaced by Sam Byram, 68), Obiang, Wilshere, Cullen, Yarmolenko, Diangana, Chicharito"

It was great seeing Reid back on the pitch with the armband on, leading the team. He was sold a bit short by a Johnson error on the second goal but was solid in his return to action. Rice, once on the pitch, was a calming influence and settled the backline down.

Cullen ran very hard and looks to be able to do everything Carlos Sanchez can do (positive) while also exceeding that very mediocre bar, he should hopefully push past the Colombian. Wilshere and Obiang were terrific in this match. As mentioned, Wilshere’s passing was a game changer and Obiang looked back to his old ways with terrific tackling to win possession back.

Diangana was the most impressive player in the second half for West Ham. He played on the left wing, which keeps his best foot wide, eliminating his shooting ability, but he was a force up the wing. He linked up well with Wilshere and Byram and brought skill, creativity, and energy down the wing.