West Ham Fan View: Three things to watch when Hammers face Liverpool

West Ham face Liverpool this Saturday with the Hammers aiming to prevent a repeat of the performance in our last game against them. Liverpool currently sit in third place, whilst we sit in 12th, one point from the top half. Here are three things to look out for…

Are we truly a different side under David Moyes?

Our last game against Liverpool was in November and it’s fair to say that we have significantly improved since then. We suffered a 4-1 defeat at home in what was Slaven Bilic’s last game as West Ham manager. We were 18th and leaking goals. There was little optimism amongst the fans and it looked like we would be going down.

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But then David Moyes took over and fans are now questioning whether we can finish in the top half. There is confidence in the team and we can show the vast improvements that we have made this Saturday against one of the best teams in the Premier League. Will we continue our big-game form?

How do we handle Mohamed Salah?

We have conceded eight goals to Liverpool in our last two meetings and given their stunning attack right now, we should be worried. The main threat is Mohamed Salah who has been one of the best signings the season with 22 goals and seven assists in the Premier League.

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So how will David Moyes stop Salah? The obvious option is Aaron Cresswell, but we may need more protection than this. Could we see Moyes play both Patrice Evra and Cresswell, with Cresswell deployed in the same manner as Arthur Masuaku was? Evra who has plenty of experience against some of the best players in the world. But should he start given that he has not played for West Ham yet?

Key battle – Marko Arnautovic vs Virgil van Dijk

Marko Arnautovic returned from injury last week and scored his seventh goal of the Premier League season, and he will be crucial in Saturday’s game. We are likely to spend the majority of the game near our own box but when we do get out, we need Arnautovic’s pace on the counter and he has to hold the ball up well.

But will Arnautovic be able to perform against Virgil van Dijk who became the most expensive defender in history when he signed for Liverpool?