I would briefly like to introduce myself as a new addition to the FPLConnect team under the Twitter handle ‘mh59bur’.
I have finished in the top 75k mark or above in each season since my first in 2013/14 with one top 10k finish. My team ID is 9415. I like to interact on Twitter with other FPL enthusiasts so I look forward to engaging with readers throughout the season.
My thoughts
The Hammers are well capable of finishing in the European places as they look to build on their 10th place finish of last season.
The exciting signings of Pablo Fornals and Sebastien Haller coupled with Pellegrini’s second season will only strengthen the club, so I think West Ham will finish in 8th place.
Expected Line-up in a 4-2-3-1 formation
The above formation and line-up is based on a match report by one half of Planet FPL Pod who attended the match.
Both full-backs push on in this formation with the wingers capable of tucking inside to support play down the middle.
Fabianski should continue making many saves like last season.
The sitting midfield duo are tasked with winning the ball back and recycling possession so that they can distribute it to the creative players in forward positions.
Lanzini will be the attacking fulcrum of the team, closely supporting Haller from behind.
Set-piece Duties
- Penalties – Haller (7.5m) & Noble (5m) if he is on the pitch
- Direct/indirect free kicks & corners – Lanzini (6.5m) & Anderson (7m)
Opening 10 fixtures
MCI, bha, wat, NOR, avl, MUN, bou, CPL, eve, SHU, NEW
Prepare to bench any West Ham player for the first game versus Man City or simply wait until after to bring one in for a decent run of both home and away fixtures.
The Hammers defence is tough to trust, especially away, so FPL managers ought to find a 4.5m defensive rotation pair between West Ham and another side. They rotate nicely with Wolves.
Players to consider
Issa Diop (4.5m) – The young centre back is only going to build upon his steady first season and ought to therefore stand a better chance of clean sheet points coupled with bonus points. It is reasonable to suggest that some attacking returns await him too, which make him one of the best choices for a budget defender in FPL.
Manuel Lanzini (6.5m) – Proven FPL midfielder with set-piece duties who will aim to carry on from where he was before his serious knee injury. Be aware of his stiff competition from Snodgrass, Antonio and the returning Yarmolenko however. He can fit in anywhere in the attacking midfield positions so he should get a lot of playing time.
Sébastien Haller (7.5m) – If Haller can replicate his 18/19 Bundlesliga form with Frankfurt (15 goals & 9 assists), then West Ham’s latest record signing will become a very popular forward in FPL. He will get a lot of support from the attacking midfield trio behind him, which favours his ability to lay off the ball for others to shoot. Incredibly, he has only missed 1 penalty in 24 so I expect him to be on penalty duty if the ageing Mark Noble is not on the pitch.
FPL Connect 
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