After a tedious week of negativity surrounding our new stadium, it is time to move on, starting by bringing three points back with us from the Hawthorns.
I am not going to comment on much surrounding this past week but instead focus more on the game and what we can do to replicate our success against the Baggies away from home last season, with that emphatic 0-3 win.
To start with, we know exactly what to expect from a Tony Pulis side, which could heavily work in our favour. I definitely think our defence needs work, a defence where Angelo Ogbonna should be the first name making it up.
I do not want to dwell too much on last game, as we could all see the defensive errors we made and how we played as a whole. In my opinion, Ginge has to come out for Ogbonna, as I do believe Reid and Ogbonna are our best pairing at the back.
Masuaku, who some are not impressed by, has made a great impact on me and I strongly feel that he will provide Cresswell with some serious competition once he returns.
Sam Byram is a player who I feel has the potential to be an excellent full-back, but for me, it is a step too soon for him. It looks as if he is yet to find his feet and struggles to keep pace with the Premier League. We must remember he is a young lad, so this step up is huge for him and one that will take time.
Hopefully, new signing, and ex-Champions League winner Alvaro Arbeloa will be fit enough to start on Saturday, and our defence as a whole will look much stronger than last week.
As for our attacking options, I am genuinely the most excited about this as I have ever been supporting this fantastic club. Zaza, Payet, Lanzini and Antonio; away from home, that is surely a recipe for success?
Lanzini is a player I highly rate and signing him permanently in the summer was an excellent piece of business by the club.
He and Payet just seem to click and with the pace of Antonio and Zaza, it makes their job much easier picking out those difficult passes.
We should approach the game by looking to out play West Brom, not just to sit back and defend. If we control the tempo of the game, getting the likes of Payet and Lanzini on the ball, we possess a real threat going forward, one which should be very exciting to see.
As for how I think we will line-up, this is what I think Slav will go with…
There is talk of Feghouli returning to the squad, which is excellent news as I thought he started his West Ham career very well, and again it is an example of the options we now have going forward.
I have recently started a YouTube channel called ‘FrankWHUFC’ where I vlog games I go to and much more, so go check it out and subscribe to keep on watching if you enjoy!
I always end these reviews with a prediction, and I cannot see anything other than a 1-3 win to the Hammers!
