Pre Match West Ham v Leicester

[Brown Nose]

Schmeichel
Castagne Vestergaard Soyuncu Thomas
Ricardo Ndidi Tielemans Barnes
Iheanacho Vardy

Thomas did well against Wolves and deserves to start again. If Bertrand can play, I'd have him on the bench.

Vestergaard has to start ahead of Amartey.

Soumare and Daka aren't quite there for me. Subs for now.

Ditch Hinge and Bracket (Maddison & Perez).

This gives us the flexibility to switch Castagne central but I'd try to make 4-4-2 work.

 

[Micky]

Schmeichel
Castagne Vestergaard Soyuncu Thomas
Ricardo Ndidi Tielemans Barnes
Iheanacho Vardy

Thomas did well against Wolves and deserves to start again. If Bertrand can play, I'd have him on the bench.

Vestergaard has to start ahead of Amartey.

Soumare and Daka aren't quite there for me. Subs for now.

Ditch Hinge and Bracket (Maddison & Perez).

This gives us the flexibility to switch Castagne central but I'd try to make 4-4-2 work.

This is the great thing about our ever improving squad. I'd totally forgotten about Castagne. I'd definitely put him in the team as you have suggested and move Ricardo forward. Lovely.

 

[Graz]

Ricardo is a great attacking full back but wasted at RW IMO.

He's better joining an attack from deep, bursting into space thats been opened up. Playing as a winger means he's already up against a defender by the time he gets the ball and would nullify a big part of his threat.

Not saying he can't play as a winger, and maybe in time he and Castagne could learn to link up more down the right to create space for each other, but Ricardo's game is better suited to full back who can overlap/join from deep.

Castagne did play RM with Atalanta though I think, so could possibly get more benefit from having him be the further forward of the two and keeping Ricardo at right back

 

[londonfox]

It’ll take a solid central midfield four of Ndidi, Soumare, Choudhury and Mendy to keep Sir Declan Rice quiet.

That’s Sir Declan the Irishman

 

[Robin127]

That’s Sir Declan the Irishman

Is that the Declan Rice that all the pundits rave about as being one of the best in the PL...funny how none of the "big boys" have made a move to sign him this summer, not even a rumour.

 

[alex]

Schmeichel

Ricky P. Lestergaard. Soyuncu. Thomas

Wilf.. Tielemans...Maddison

Perez. Vardy. Barnes

----

I would rather a replacement for Perez of course.

 

[Blue Maniac]

Is that the Declan Rice that all the pundits rave about as being one of the best in the PL...funny how none of the "big boys" have made a move to sign him this summer, not even a rumour.

Well, except that one about Chelsea that seemed to be everywhere every day

 

[Robin127]

Was that this summer? I remember all the ones from last season about more than one club "making a bid" for him but nothing really since.

 

[popillius]

Was that this summer? I remember all the ones from last season about more than one club "making a bid" for him but nothing really since.

Let's not start pretending he's not a good player. He really is. He would walk into most teams in the league.

 

[Robin127]

Let's not start pretending he's not a good player. He really is. He would walk into most teams in the league.

I'm not saying he isn't but he's not as good as some make him out to be, that's why none of the "big boys" saw him as any better than what they've got and haven't tried to sign him.

 

[DillyDing22]

I'm not saying he isn't but he's not as good as some make him out to be, that's why none of the "big boys" saw him as any better than what they've got and haven't tried to sign him.

Well we haven’t bid for Haaland, doesn’t mean he’s not an improvement to our squad.

West Ham have time and time again, correctly, priced him out of the ‘big boys’ budget. There comes a point where even the journalists don’t bother. I think if West Ham said, ‘he’s for sale at 50m’, you’d have about 10 teams after him.

 

[Graz]

Well we haven’t bid for Haaland, doesn’t mean he’s not an improvement to our squad.

West Ham have time and time again, correctly, priced him out of the ‘big boys’ budget. There comes a point where even the journalists don’t bother. I think if West Ham said, ‘he’s for sale at 50m’, you’d have about 10 teams after him.

Yep.

The same could be said about Tielemans, Ndidi etc

 

[M17TT C]

Kasper

Ricardo
Soyuncu
Vestergaard
Bertrand

Wilf
Tielemans
Maddison

Castagne
Vardy
Barnes

 

[popillius]

Yep.

The same could be said about Tielemans, Ndidi etc

Precisely.

 

[SJN-Fox]

Referee: Michael Oliver.
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Simon Bennett.
Fourth official: Graham Scott.
VAR: Darren England.
Assistant VAR: Dan Robathan.

 

[Brown Nose]

Castagne is available but Bertrand isn't.

Looks like Amartey will start again over Vestergaard due to fitness levels.

No new absentees.

 

[Graz]

Castagne is available but Bertrand isn't.

Looks like Amartey will start again over Vestergaard due to fitness levels.

No new absentees.

No big surprises there. I think I'm right in saying Vestegaard didn't play at all for Southampton in pre-season?

Hope Amartey has a decent game in him.

I doubt Castagne will come in for Thomas yet, since I think we'd prefer Bertrand there when he's available and I don't see us wanting to change our left back each week.

 

[camberwell fox]

Amartey scares the shit out of me. He has way too many brain farts for my liking.

We were very lucky he didn’t cost us against Wolves.

 

[Matt_B]

Amartey scares the shit out of me. He has way too many brain farts for my liking.

We were very lucky he didn’t cost us against Wolves.

He seems that way, I agree, but I can't remember him making a mistake that actually led to a goal.

 

[SJN-Fox]

He seems that way, I agree, but I can't remember him making a mistake that actually led to a goal.

I do wish you hadn’t said that.