The Opposition View: West Ham United’s take on upcoming Liverpool game

As Liverpool prepare to take on West Ham United at Anfield in the season opener, RushTheKop has taken time out to speak to Green Street Hammers very own Scott Johnson.

Here’s his take on their chances and who Liverpool fans should be looking out for…

West Ham appear to have been pretty active in the transfer market this season; are you confident of a better season this time around?

We’ve been very active, and actually picked up players we needed that have improved the side!

We’ve added creativity out wide, defensive reinforcements and hopefully a consistent keeper which has been an issue for years.

The biggest signing for us, in my eyes, is Pellegrini. I think nearly all the fans are confident of a better and more promising season!

How do you rate your chances for the Liverpool game?

Against most teams in the Premier League I would be very confident of opening the season with a win. We’ve had a solid pre-season and I think, at least on paper, we have a team that is much better equipped to deal with issues thrown at us.

However, Liverpool and Man City are two teams I think are above the rest, and it will take a great game from us to get anything from it. I’m not expecting anything from it, I’d just like a good performance!

How do you expect The Hammers to lineup at Anfield?

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I imagine that we will line up in a 4-3-3, trying to counter some of Liverpool’s attacking strength by keeping your fullbacks busy at the back.

I think it will be debuts for 6 of our new players and that will see Fabianski in goal, Cresswell and Fredericks at left and right back respectively, with Balbuena and Ogbonna in the center of defense.

In midfield, I think Rice and Noble will play behind Wilshere, trying to hold that against your central two.

Out wide new boys Anderson and Yarmolenko will hopefully both be fit and raring to go, supporting Arnautovic through the middle.

Mo Salah bagged 3 goals against you last season; do you consider him the main threat?

I think that anyone not considering Salah the biggest threat after last season needs their head checking.

He punished even the smallest mistake and was always looking for goal, and his pace makes him almost impossible to mark constantly.

That’s not to say that Liverpool don’t have other threats like Mane, Shaqiri and Firmino, but Salah is definitely the main one for me.

Which West Ham player should Liverpool fans be most worried of?

Arnautovic is the obvious answer here. Towards the end of last season everything good we did ran through him. When he’s in the mood he’s a tough man to stop, let alone get the ball off of.

I’d also be interested to see what Anderson can do as well, he’s looked decent in pre-season and as our record signing there’s pressure to perform in this type of match. He has raw pace to burn and can cut in nicely off the left wing to be a goal threat of his own.

Finally, what’s your score prediction for the game?

My heart wants this to be a West Ham win, but I just can’t see it all falling in place at the first try.

We have an awful record at Anfield and unfortunately I have to go with a Liverpool win, probably 2-1 or 3-1 to the home side.

A big thank-you to Scott for taking the time to speak with us. It’s great to hear from fans of other clubs, especially when they confirm what all Liverpool fans are hoping – The Reds have a great team and have a great chance of competing for trophies!