Predicting West Ham’s protest-busting starting XI

Traveling to the London Stadium is a new-look Ancelotti-led Everton side that will meet up with David Moyes’ version of West Ham. Hopefully, this team can knock off the Toffees, unlike last time.

It appears we are in for a three-at-the-back system under David Moyes, and I for one am here for it. It’s defensive heavy, versatile, and reliance on wide attackers should free up time and space for Sebastien Haller to get into the game. The biggest issue for Moyes is the West Ham midfield he needs to sort out.

Against Sheffield United, there wasn’t much soul in the midfield. Mark Noble, Declan Rice, and Manuel Lanzini are a solid trio on paper to fill out the team, but it didn’t work against the Blades. Lanzini refused to trackback as Noble attempted to, and when it came to linking up with the attack, Rice was being used too much to progress play forward.

For Everton, the team needs to sort itself out from the middle outward, and with that in mind I present the predicted XI to play Everton:

Randolph

Balbuena – Diop – Ogbonna

Zabaleta – Noble – Rice – Snodgrass – Cresswell

Fornals – Haller

Bench: Martin, Masuaku, Cardoso, Reid, Sanchez, Lanzini, Ajeti

Darren Randolph, who miraculously recovered this week after failing two medicals, gets his second West Ham debut in goal. This is needed after David Martin‘s blunder (although he played fine afterward) and Lukasz Fabianski‘s hip injury. It’ll be good to see him get back in goal and show off that keeper athleticism in between the posts.

With Moyes revealing Michail Antonio is a doubt for this match, and that both Arthur Masuaku and Felipe Anderson are struggling with injuries from the Sheffield match, this should be how the midfield and attack set up. Lanzini deserves to be dropped, while Robert Snodgrass and Pablo Fornals need to be played – simple as that.

If this team is deployed like this, Everton should have their hands full. The priority needs to be getting the ball out wide first and crossing it into the forwards in the box to put the Toffee’s backline under pressure early and often. Come on, Moyesy! Let’s see a strong, attacking team!