2018-19 Pre-season: training camps and matches etc (West Ham)

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Diop for balbuena and rice for obiang

buffybegood

Rice on, sry, I missed that, might have been when I was re-watching the goal. Think it's for Obiang (educated guess).

And Diop for Rocky (cheers Champo)

grey_til_I_dye

Champo

Anderson and Yarmo were quiet, but a lot of that, imo, was down to the MF malfunctioning. They hardly got any decent service.

buffybegood

Lovely from Rice, intercepts and then drives forward before winning a free kick.

buffybegood

Arnie off for Cullen?

buffybegood

Zaba on for Masuaku I think, Fredericks switching to LB.

buffybegood

2-1 FT.

Not particularly convincing imo, and might serve to temper some of the optimism after the performance against Villa.

MrsGrey

BubblesNeverDies said:

Any reason their names are not on their shirts?

Squad numbers aren't finalised yet.

Hamstew

Rice and Noble are so good.

grey_til_I_dye

buffy

;ok We looked very ordinary, and for much of the game our MF really didn't function properly. Arnie spent far to much time coming in to our half to look for the ball for much of the game, and Yarmo and Anderson got almost nothing to work with.

On the positive side, they have both showed glimpses of what they will bring to us over a season, and Arnie did what he does when he got his chance.

Still unsure about a back 4. Each game I've seen, it has been too easy for the opposition to split and/or get behind the CBs.Think it might take Liverpool tearing us apart, and a couple of other similar games, for Pelle to wonder if back 3 isn't the way to go for us.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Think that game epitomises what you can expect in preseason

Ipswich are a young team, under a new manager, at home,against a premier league team in their last preseason before te season starts. They were quick and full of energy, yet didnt exactly batter us

We looked like we were playing most of the game at half pace

Obiang-kouyate have now played together under bilic, moyes and Pellegrini and it just does not work.

Arnie grabbing a goal again is a huge plus

Got 2 more rpeseason games against Mainz and Angers i think who are in the bunesliga and Ligue 1 respectively

Agree Grey RE 4 at the back....it so frustrating that despite it being the go to fomration for about 95% of team we just seem incapable playing that way

Lukerz

I think it's a bit unfair being overly harsh on the rhythm of the side in that one. Kouyate made his first appearance, Fabianksi his first, Balbeuna his second, Anderson his second, four of the eleven with basically no real match fitness levels. The two he played in midfield could well both be gone come the start of the season.

But I agree that the side is lacking a protective player to shield the defence. We can't play with Masuaku & Fredericks as full-backs, with Anderson & Yarmo ahead of them, without a proper DM. Kouyate has such poor positional sense he couldn't do it if fit. Noble & Obiang would have a go, but neither think like a defender. That's why I think we're going to have to play every game with Rice as one of the midfield three, so he can sit & drop into the back two if necessary. I think it has to be Rice & one of Noble/Obiang to partner him.

But Arnie is on fire, the side appears to have a lot of potential & that was a decent result against a young team, two weeks ahead of us (albeit only pre-season). Whisper it quietly, but these results have the early signs of a 'winning mentality'.

PrestonHammer

And Lukerz, not a babe in sight. ;lol

Lukerz

Do we read anything into the fact that Diop has started on the bench the last two games ;hmm

baracks_a_hammer

Is it just me who is struggling to see Nobes’ role this season.

Working on the assumption our starting 11 will more often than not include yarm, Anderson and Arnie

Nobes is not a DM (well not that good a one anyway). I would see him behind Obiang and rice in that department. And a little further forward where central creativity is required there is no way he would displace a fit and firing Wilshere (IMO)

;hmm

Lukerz

Nobes would be first on my team-sheet in midfield.

baracks_a_hammer

Yep I would have figured that ;lol

Fortuneseeker

Lukerz,

I noticed you didn't indicate whether that was the First X1 or not. ;wink

Adam

I actually think Noble has been one of the stand out performers in pre-season. He’ll be part of a midfield three (but not the most defensive) that try to control possession (and so the game).

OldCastleSwift

Rice, Noble and Wilshere look like they'll be the starting three against Liverpool. But we still need some additions to give them genuine competition, particularly at DM.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

I think noble is a starter...but doesnt fit into the midfield 3 long term...if that makes any sense

He is quite comfortable on the ball, and can win it back, but hes not great at either and his lack of mobility means he can be a liability when pressing

Think pellegrini will need 2 summer windows to get the team hr wants.....think noble survives this one, but maybe not the next

ianbishoplegend

Noble is starting every move when in the pitch, him and Wilshire are quality.

grey_til_I_dye

Watching the Ipswich goal in better quality on the highlights, it really was a shocker.



One 40 yard pass, and a simple run, take out two CMs and two CBs.

That will need tweaking before Liverpool...

IronHerb

Great pass though.

Lukerz

I know Balbuena didn’t cover himself in glory but I’ve never been convinced by Ogbonna in a two. I thought he was our best CB in the middle of a three (although still we let in a lot of goals), but in a two I just think we’re too flimsy at the back.

Expat_Hammer

Have to agree Lukerz, IMO he wasn't too good when paired with Winston and Winston suffered because he had to swap sides to accommodate Ogbonna.

But hey ho, what do we know ;whistle

Lukerz

Trying to find why Antonio missed this one. Can't see anything. Was it always the plan for him to rest this one as he played in the mid-week one & has just returned from injury?

MrsGrey

I'd have thought so. ;hmm

2 games in 3 days at what is effectively the very beginning of his preseason...

(doesn't mean he hasn't had a setback, of course.)

MrsGrey

MrsGrey said:

Updated List:


v FC Winterthur, Venue TBC, Sunday 8 July, 3pm CEST
v Wycombe Wanderers, Adams Park, Saturday 14 July, 3pm
v Preston North End, Deepdale, Saturday 21 July, 3pm
v Aston Villa, Bescot Stadium, Walsall, Wednesday 25 July, 7.45pm
v Ipswich Town, Portman Road, Saturday 28 July, 3pm

In Austria
v Mainz, in Austria. 31 July. (Betway Cup) 18:30 CEST (17:30 BST).
v Angers SCO (France Ligue Un) Friday 3 August at 6.30pm CEST (5.30pm BST)

Yeoldhammer

we're at the end of pre-season now though. 2 more pre-season games before Liverpool then that's it I believe.

Despite most of our players not being at the world cup, doesn't feel like we have had a long pre-season.