It has been two-and-a-half months since Liverpool's last competitive match in the Champions League final. But the time has come to resume play at Anfield. The Premier League's opening weekend is underway and Liverpool will play on day three of the three-day extravaganza. Their opponent is no pushover, though. Facing them will be a new-look West Ham side with a new manager, new weapons, and surely a new desire to see them up the table. Excitement is at its peak. A new season has arrived.
Team News:
Liverpool have not played a single competitive match, but there are indeed injury concerns for the Reds. The talk of the town for the Reds has been Fabinho and his struggles leading up to the match to be able to partake in the opening match. The Brazilian had a muscle issue following the final friendly match with Torino, but fortunately for the Reds' faithful, the scan was all clear. That, however, does not put Fabinho in the clear as he is now dealing with an illness and was sent home from a pre-match training session as a result. Jurgen Klopp said of the matter, "Obviously he was not feeling really well so we sent him home...I didn’t see him so far and I didn’t ask anybody, so we will see." With Fabinho a doubt, the eyes of Liverpool now fall to Jordan Henderson to potentially replace Fabinho in the line-up despite recently returning to Melwood following the World Cup. The question of who will be in the holding-midfield position tomorrow looms over this side.
Elsewhere is the concern of who will play as the second center-back alongside Virgil van Dijk. Dejan Lovren has been ruled out by Klopp for this weekend as a result of his returning just this past week following Croatia's run to the World Cup final. All three other first-team center-backs also are struggling with injury as Ragnar Klavan is officially out with a muscle injury, while Joel Matip still struggles from the muscle injury that sent him home from the United States tour and Joe Gomez has a minor injury that held him out of the friendly with Torino. Both Matip and Gomez trained with the team on Thursday, but Nathaniel Phillips, the young center-back who impressed this pre-season, will be on stand-by if neither Gomez nor Matip is fit enough to play. Also in the defense is the question of whether or not Trent Alexander-Arnold is ready to rejoin the side following his vacation after the World Cup. He will be evaluated, but he enjoyed a lengthier pre-season with his club than Henderson did, so he seems to have a fighting chance.
West Ham, on the other hand, are a new look side with the probability of showing many of those new faces on the weekend. West Ham have been dealt three long-term absences, the highest profile of that being Manuel Lanzini, who missed the World Cup with a torn ACL and seems set to miss much of this league season. Also missing out will be center-back Winston Reid and striker Andy Carroll with other more major problems, though both expect to return quicker than Lanzini. Also missing out will be Edimilson Fernandes who has a "small problem" but indeed was ruled out for selection by new manager Manuel Pellegrini. All nine new signings, including deadline day acquisitions Lucas Perez and Carlos Sanchez, trained with the Hammers on Friday and have been touted as available for selection. This list also includes club-record signing from Lazio Felipe Anderson and new keeper Lukasz Fabianski. West Ham and Pellegrini have the element of surprise on their side with a certain lack of knowing about what he will throw out on the pitch present, but Liverpool will aim to be well-prepared for the task to come.
Projected Liverpool Line-Up: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Keita, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Projected West Ham Line-Up: Fabianski; Fredericks, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Antonio, Wilshere, Noble, Anderson; Arnautovic, Chicharito
Previewing the Match:
A lot of this match, quite frankly, comes down to how Liverpool will come out and play. This is a very basic statement of course, but it is true. Anfield possesses a special sort of magic in these important matches. With a side that has been touted by many, myself included, as one that should be challenging for the Premier League title this season, the noise of Anfield should serve as a spur for the boys in red. Both matches last season against West Ham resulted in 4-1 victories for Liverpool, but David Moyes' West Ham side wavered between middling and lifeless. The 2015-16 season saw Liverpool lose three times in four matches and only have one draw against the Hammers. They have the talent to find that sort of form against under an ex-title-winning manager. Their first step to fulfilling this potential is on August 12th.
What about this West Ham side? Well, we know bits and pieces about what they will likely do based on friendly matches, Pellegrini's history, and also some general information. Pellegrini favored a back-four with Manchester City's side as well as in China. I am not expecting a 4-2-2-2 that he ran on occasion with City, but with the general word being that part of Pellegrini's desperation for another striker on deadline day as well was his desire to play two men on top, I expect two strikers to be listed on the team sheet. The line-up I have projected is the exact same as Pellegrini's most recent friendly match. The lone exception I thought about making was including Issa Diop, a 21-year-old who was the summer's original club transfer record, in place for Fabian Balbuena, a 26-year-old acquired for much cheaper from Corinthians in Brazil. Diop is young but is a massive presence in defense at 6'4" and I don't think West Ham were just paying for potential, they want immediate production. That said, Fabian Balbuena has, by all accounts, been superb in adjusting to the English game. Against one of the most devastating attacks in the league, I think Pellegrini will go the safer route and pick the seemingly more sure thing over the young lad full of potential.
Now that we've covered the opponent, let's talk about Liverpool. The 4-3-3 with a high press will look to overrun the defense of West Ham and force them to collapse under pressure. Mo Salah did this exceptionally well to Aaron Cresswell last season and, if the Tranmere youth project (and Scouser) does get the start as I expect, I would look for more of the same. Pellegrini could try and stop this by starting Arthur Masuaka for more stability defensively, but we will have to wait and see if he does. Through the middle of the pitch, the midfield battle will be key as Mark Noble and Jack Wilshere are going to be tasked with stopping Naby Keita and Gini Wijnaldum from making forward runs into the opposition third. Wilshere will surely be the deeper of the two and it's going to be Keita looking to take on Noble and, upon advancement, trying to get past Wilshere. You have the option of Henderson playing long and forward as well as he will sit deeper in the park, but I would expect his outlets to be more towards the wings and not of the forward and direct variety. Getting forward will likely mean not winning headers over the 6'3" Ogbonna or 6'2" Balbuena (or possibly 6'4" Diop) but rather getting around West Ham and beating them with runs behind their defensive line.
When looking at defense, I look at the spine of the defense to be key for Liverpool. As of now, the safe money has been on Joe Gomez starting at center-back. If, however, he is not fit and Joel Matip remains out, and it is indeed Nathaniel Phillips starting, things immediately change and I expect West Ham to attack his position and avoid Virgil van Dijk. Operating under the assumption of Gomez starting though and I wonder how much will change. Going forward on the wings has more often than not resulted in little success for the side attacking Liverpool, but West Ham will surely give it a try. I think we can see Pellegrini doing some in-game tinkering with his side, like bringing on ex-Dortmund man Andriy Yarmalenko for Chicharito, pushing Anderson to the left, and moving Antonio to a striker's role, and this is the sort of thing that I think could cause concern for the Liverpool back-line. The Hammers have many moving parts and can move and shift them as they please. The defenders will have to respond to the attackers, but one way that can be helped is if the defensive-mid, either Henderson or Fabinho, cuts off any central attacks that Noble may try to thread through to his men on top. This would allow Gomez and van Dijk to cheat a little extra over to the wings both in and out of possession and give the more-than-capable Robertson and Alexander-Arnold (or Clyne) a bit of extra security if they need it.
Final Thoughts:
The new season brings such hope and excitement for all twenty teams in the Premier League. It's the opportunity of a new chapter to be written. For Liverpool, it's about starting the next one in their lengthy book. The hope of the side is that they will end the season at top of the table, or at least with a trophy in hand. This match against West Ham represents the start of that. A win is not a necessity, but it will go a long way in building up positive energy in the entire club hierarchy, from top to bottom.
Score Prediction: Liverpool 2: West Ham 1:
I'm feeling cautiously optimistic and I'm going with Liverpool. West Ham, I think, have a chance at being a top seven team this season. Liverpool gave up three goals to Watford last season on opening day as well. Stranger things have happened than West Ham getting a point, or even all three. That bit said, I think Liverpool are too strong in the spine to be denied by the Hammers. If Bobby Firmino is able to have space to operate, I think this prediction will ring true. If not, though, I would not feel as good about this guess standing up. But my prediction has been made. Now, I can only wait, see, and hope to dream for this to be the kick-off of a thrilling, and successful, season for Liverpool.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
Team News:
Liverpool have not played a single competitive match, but there are indeed injury concerns for the Reds. The talk of the town for the Reds has been Fabinho and his struggles leading up to the match to be able to partake in the opening match. The Brazilian had a muscle issue following the final friendly match with Torino, but fortunately for the Reds' faithful, the scan was all clear. That, however, does not put Fabinho in the clear as he is now dealing with an illness and was sent home from a pre-match training session as a result. Jurgen Klopp said of the matter, "Obviously he was not feeling really well so we sent him home...I didn’t see him so far and I didn’t ask anybody, so we will see." With Fabinho a doubt, the eyes of Liverpool now fall to Jordan Henderson to potentially replace Fabinho in the line-up despite recently returning to Melwood following the World Cup. The question of who will be in the holding-midfield position tomorrow looms over this side.
Elsewhere is the concern of who will play as the second center-back alongside Virgil van Dijk. Dejan Lovren has been ruled out by Klopp for this weekend as a result of his returning just this past week following Croatia's run to the World Cup final. All three other first-team center-backs also are struggling with injury as Ragnar Klavan is officially out with a muscle injury, while Joel Matip still struggles from the muscle injury that sent him home from the United States tour and Joe Gomez has a minor injury that held him out of the friendly with Torino. Both Matip and Gomez trained with the team on Thursday, but Nathaniel Phillips, the young center-back who impressed this pre-season, will be on stand-by if neither Gomez nor Matip is fit enough to play. Also in the defense is the question of whether or not Trent Alexander-Arnold is ready to rejoin the side following his vacation after the World Cup. He will be evaluated, but he enjoyed a lengthier pre-season with his club than Henderson did, so he seems to have a fighting chance.
West Ham, on the other hand, are a new look side with the probability of showing many of those new faces on the weekend. West Ham have been dealt three long-term absences, the highest profile of that being Manuel Lanzini, who missed the World Cup with a torn ACL and seems set to miss much of this league season. Also missing out will be center-back Winston Reid and striker Andy Carroll with other more major problems, though both expect to return quicker than Lanzini. Also missing out will be Edimilson Fernandes who has a "small problem" but indeed was ruled out for selection by new manager Manuel Pellegrini. All nine new signings, including deadline day acquisitions Lucas Perez and Carlos Sanchez, trained with the Hammers on Friday and have been touted as available for selection. This list also includes club-record signing from Lazio Felipe Anderson and new keeper Lukasz Fabianski. West Ham and Pellegrini have the element of surprise on their side with a certain lack of knowing about what he will throw out on the pitch present, but Liverpool will aim to be well-prepared for the task to come.
Projected Liverpool Line-Up: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Keita, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Projected West Ham Line-Up: Fabianski; Fredericks, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Antonio, Wilshere, Noble, Anderson; Arnautovic, Chicharito
Previewing the Match:
A lot of this match, quite frankly, comes down to how Liverpool will come out and play. This is a very basic statement of course, but it is true. Anfield possesses a special sort of magic in these important matches. With a side that has been touted by many, myself included, as one that should be challenging for the Premier League title this season, the noise of Anfield should serve as a spur for the boys in red. Both matches last season against West Ham resulted in 4-1 victories for Liverpool, but David Moyes' West Ham side wavered between middling and lifeless. The 2015-16 season saw Liverpool lose three times in four matches and only have one draw against the Hammers. They have the talent to find that sort of form against under an ex-title-winning manager. Their first step to fulfilling this potential is on August 12th.
What about this West Ham side? Well, we know bits and pieces about what they will likely do based on friendly matches, Pellegrini's history, and also some general information. Pellegrini favored a back-four with Manchester City's side as well as in China. I am not expecting a 4-2-2-2 that he ran on occasion with City, but with the general word being that part of Pellegrini's desperation for another striker on deadline day as well was his desire to play two men on top, I expect two strikers to be listed on the team sheet. The line-up I have projected is the exact same as Pellegrini's most recent friendly match. The lone exception I thought about making was including Issa Diop, a 21-year-old who was the summer's original club transfer record, in place for Fabian Balbuena, a 26-year-old acquired for much cheaper from Corinthians in Brazil. Diop is young but is a massive presence in defense at 6'4" and I don't think West Ham were just paying for potential, they want immediate production. That said, Fabian Balbuena has, by all accounts, been superb in adjusting to the English game. Against one of the most devastating attacks in the league, I think Pellegrini will go the safer route and pick the seemingly more sure thing over the young lad full of potential.
Now that we've covered the opponent, let's talk about Liverpool. The 4-3-3 with a high press will look to overrun the defense of West Ham and force them to collapse under pressure. Mo Salah did this exceptionally well to Aaron Cresswell last season and, if the Tranmere youth project (and Scouser) does get the start as I expect, I would look for more of the same. Pellegrini could try and stop this by starting Arthur Masuaka for more stability defensively, but we will have to wait and see if he does. Through the middle of the pitch, the midfield battle will be key as Mark Noble and Jack Wilshere are going to be tasked with stopping Naby Keita and Gini Wijnaldum from making forward runs into the opposition third. Wilshere will surely be the deeper of the two and it's going to be Keita looking to take on Noble and, upon advancement, trying to get past Wilshere. You have the option of Henderson playing long and forward as well as he will sit deeper in the park, but I would expect his outlets to be more towards the wings and not of the forward and direct variety. Getting forward will likely mean not winning headers over the 6'3" Ogbonna or 6'2" Balbuena (or possibly 6'4" Diop) but rather getting around West Ham and beating them with runs behind their defensive line.
When looking at defense, I look at the spine of the defense to be key for Liverpool. As of now, the safe money has been on Joe Gomez starting at center-back. If, however, he is not fit and Joel Matip remains out, and it is indeed Nathaniel Phillips starting, things immediately change and I expect West Ham to attack his position and avoid Virgil van Dijk. Operating under the assumption of Gomez starting though and I wonder how much will change. Going forward on the wings has more often than not resulted in little success for the side attacking Liverpool, but West Ham will surely give it a try. I think we can see Pellegrini doing some in-game tinkering with his side, like bringing on ex-Dortmund man Andriy Yarmalenko for Chicharito, pushing Anderson to the left, and moving Antonio to a striker's role, and this is the sort of thing that I think could cause concern for the Liverpool back-line. The Hammers have many moving parts and can move and shift them as they please. The defenders will have to respond to the attackers, but one way that can be helped is if the defensive-mid, either Henderson or Fabinho, cuts off any central attacks that Noble may try to thread through to his men on top. This would allow Gomez and van Dijk to cheat a little extra over to the wings both in and out of possession and give the more-than-capable Robertson and Alexander-Arnold (or Clyne) a bit of extra security if they need it.
Final Thoughts:
The new season brings such hope and excitement for all twenty teams in the Premier League. It's the opportunity of a new chapter to be written. For Liverpool, it's about starting the next one in their lengthy book. The hope of the side is that they will end the season at top of the table, or at least with a trophy in hand. This match against West Ham represents the start of that. A win is not a necessity, but it will go a long way in building up positive energy in the entire club hierarchy, from top to bottom.
Score Prediction: Liverpool 2: West Ham 1:
I'm feeling cautiously optimistic and I'm going with Liverpool. West Ham, I think, have a chance at being a top seven team this season. Liverpool gave up three goals to Watford last season on opening day as well. Stranger things have happened than West Ham getting a point, or even all three. That bit said, I think Liverpool are too strong in the spine to be denied by the Hammers. If Bobby Firmino is able to have space to operate, I think this prediction will ring true. If not, though, I would not feel as good about this guess standing up. But my prediction has been made. Now, I can only wait, see, and hope to dream for this to be the kick-off of a thrilling, and successful, season for Liverpool.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
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