West Ham United will look to bounce back against Brentford in the Premier League on Friday after a dire defeat to Arsenal on Boxing Day.
As the festive period of football continues, Matchday 18 of the Premier League will pit a struggling West Ham United against a rival from the capital, Brentford, at the London Stadium.
West Ham have had a hugely frustrating campaign so far, as we head towards the halfway mark of the season. They are currently 16th in the Premier League table, just one point clear of the relegation zone, having taken just 14 points from their opening 16 games. And while their position will no doubt be a source of concern, the manner of their recent performances is perhaps the most pressing issue.
David Moyes’s approach to winning games has grown monotonous. West Ham are just too predictable, and their football is slow, boring to watch, and completely devoid of any pace or creativity. The Groundhog Boxing Day defeat was the Hammers’ fourth successive loss in the Premier League. And while no one expected West Ham to thrash Arsenal on their return to action, the crushing defeat to the Gunners does increase the heat on Moyes’s position.
Following back-to-back top-seven finishes, this season is turning out to be a fight to avoid relegation despite the lavish summer spending. The rot has really set in at the London Stadium on the domestic front, masked by their European adventure. West Ham’s poor form stretches back a full year, with just 13 wins in their last 43 Premier League games.
Obviously, Moyes will hope to turn things around quickly and stem the flow of beatings. An increasing number of supporters believe Moyes is on his last leg, and a London derby loss to Brentford would really see an increase in the calls to sack the West Ham boss.
As for the visitors, Thomas Frank will likely feel frustrated after his side threw away their half-time two-goal advantage earlier in the week. The Bees held a 2-0 lead over Tottenham heading into the final 30 minutes, only to concede two goals in six minutes to share the spoils.
Brentford currently sit firmly in mid-table with a record of four wins, eight draws, and only four defeats, placing the Bees in tenth place with 20 points. However, the visitors could really use three points here as they have struggled to find much stability on either side of the World Cup break, and with a top-half finish at the top of their agenda in 2023.
These two sides have met just twice in the Premier League thus far, as Brentford did the double over West Ham last season. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the Premier League encounter at the London stadium.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
Putting in the hard yards 🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/7pgLBcvFaV
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 28, 2022
David Moyes will have make do without the services of three key first-team players. Kurt Zouma (knee), who got injured in a friendly against Fulham, which was staged over the World Cup break, has an unknown return date. Summer signing Gianluca Scamacca (ankle) got injured in the same friendly.
While he will be back to training in a few days, he will likely miss this game. Finally, Maxwel Cornet (calf) is also not expected to return for the next three weeks. Nayef Aguerd, who was part of the Moroccan side that made history at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, only returned on Christmas Eve and has been sidelined by a mix of illness and injury.
Despite the loss to Arsenal, Moyes will probably opt for his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation and could retain the majority of the XI against Brentford. Lukasz Fabianski should remain between the sticks for the Hammers. And while there are unlikely to be any changes in front of him in the defensive rearguard either, this is largely down to injuries to regulars like Zouma and Aguerd.
There is a school of thought among the West ham faithful that Thilo Kehrer’s tenacious, energetic, and ball-playing attributes are more suited to the defensive midfield role, given that Tomas Soucek has underperformed massively this season and the former PSG defender’s occasional defensive lapses. However, Moyes is unlikely to risk experimenting with that in this game, which may decide his fate.
One change that could happen is Pablo Fornals replacing Soucek as Declan Rice’s partner in the West Ham engine room against Brentford, as the Spaniard will bring more fluidity and an injection of pace and intensity to this stale Hammers side.
He also nearly added a goal in the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal, but his fine shot was brilliantly saved by Aaron Ramsdale. Lucas Paqueta might have impressed during his time with Brazil at the World Cup, but he has so far struggled to make a real impact in the Premier League despite showcasing flashes of brilliance.
Saïd Benrahma should retain his spot on the left after he bagged himself a penalty against Arsenal. But the Hammers need to get the ball more to Jarrod Bowen, who will have to come up with a few ideas using his directness and speed to pose a threat to the visitors.
Michail Antonio, if fit, will spearhead the line for the hosts. But given that the Jamaican international did not look fully fit against Arsenal, Moyes may have to look to youngster Divin Mubama to lead the West Ham attack in what would be his first Premier League start.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Kehrer, Cresswell; Rice, Fornals; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Antonio
Brentford
Unlike his counterpart in the West Ham dugout, Brentford boss Thomas Frank does not have any fresh injury concerns to contend with ahead of the trip to the London Stadium. In fact, a host of Brentford players are on the verge of returning from long-term injuries, although they may not feature on Friday. Aaron Hickey (ankle) and Thomas Strakosha (ankle) are all on their way back from injuries.
The only first-team players out of this tie for Brentford are centre-back Kristoffer Ajer (knee), and midfielder Shandon Baptiste (adductor strain), while Frank Onyeka faces a late fitness test to assess his hamstring issue.
Continuing to gain plenty of plaudits for their attacking approach under Thomas Frank, Brentford should be salivating at the prospect of rubbing salt over the wounds by causing an upset at West Ham. Frank will set his side up in his favoured 3-5-2 system in front of goalkeeper David Raya, and could well keep with the same XI that took to the field against Tottenham last time out.
🔜 Friday Night at the London Stadium
The Hammers up next 💪#WHUBRE pic.twitter.com/GhgUVnweQW
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) December 28, 2022
So, Ben Mee will continue to marshal the back three alongside Mathias Jorgensen and Ethan Pinnock. In the absence of Hickey, Mads Roerslev has come in at right-back and done a decent job of offering width and making marauding runs. Meanwhile, Rico Henry will continue on the opposite flank.
The Bees like to play the ball out from the back to attract opposition pressure and create space in behind and wide areas. However, to do that, the three midfielders, Christian Norgaard, Mathias Jensen, and Vitaly Janelt, will have to condense the space in the middle of the park with their tenacity and intent to press.
Despite being under investigation by the FA, Ivan Toney is likely to play for Brentford. Indeed, Toney has until January 4 to provide a response to the charges and can continue to play for his club while the investigation is underway. He will pair up with partner in crime, Bryan Mbeumo, in the final third.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Raya; Jorgensen, Pinnock, Mee; Roerslev, Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt, Henry; Mbeumo, Toney
Key Stats
- Brentford have played more draws (8) than any other team in the Premier League, while the hosts have suffered the joint-most defeats (10) in the division.
- West Ham United have only kept three clean sheets in 16 Premier League games this season, which is the joint-third lowest total in the league.
- Thankfully for West Ham, Brentford are not the meanest defensively themselves, having only kept one clean sheet in their eight league away games.
- West Ham have lost their last four Premier League matches, while the visitors are on a four-match unbeaten streak.
- West Ham have conceded at least two goals in their last three Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Ivan Toney
Off-field controvery aside, Toney has been in red-hot goalscoring form and has scored 11 goals in 15 games for the Bees this term, earning an England call-up prior to the World Cup. The 26-year-old scored Brentford’s second against Tottenham and has now found the net in each of his last three appearances.
It remains to be seen what the ramifications would be if he were proven guilty for his heavy involvement in football betting. If he is banned from football for an extended period of time, it will be a major setback for Brentford, since Toney is a key part of Thomas Frank’s system and their most important player.
Prediction
West Ham United 2-2 Brentford
West Ham had a second-half capitulation on Boxing Day as they let a 1-0 lead at half-time slip to lose 3-1 at Premier League leaders Arsenal. And this defensive vulnerability might come back to bite them in their final game of 2022. What we can predict from both sides is plenty of fragility in defence. Both teams have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven games.
West Ham’s troubles this season have resulted from their inability to consistently put the ball in the back of the net and create chances. However, they will fancy their chances to score against Brentford, who have played out five draws in their last seven competitive games. So, an entertaining 2-2 thriller could well be on the cards.
