28 September 2024
Brentford 1 West Ham 1
Brentford welcomed West Ham to the Gtech Community Stadium for a London derby. The Bees had a 100% record at home this season while the visitors’ new manager was under pressure. After a humbling home defeat against Chelsea, Lopetegui’s side got hammered 5-1 at Anfield in the EFL Cup in midweek and had been calling for calm amongst the fans.
Thomas Frank’s side are making a bit of a name for themselves as fast starters to games. In their last two matches they have scored within the first minute. Once again their fans did not have to wait long. As West Ham failed to clear their lines repeatedly, the ball was headed to Mbuemo who volleyed into the top corner. It certainly stopped the renditions of ‘I’m forever blowing bubbles’.
That goal meant that Brentford became the first team in Premier League history to score a goal in the first minute in three consecutive games. The Bees certainly didn’t seem to be missing Ivan Toney at this stage. With confidence already pretty low, West Ham now had to come from behind if they were to get anything from this game.
Kudus had the first sight of goal for the visitors as he ran from the halfway line into the box. His shot was straight at Flekken who blocked well and his defender calmly chested it back to him. It was a first half of very few chances, not that Brentford would be bothered as they had the lead. Lopetegui needed to inspire his side during the interval.
Hammers’ fans seem to have very little patience for ‘projects’. They expected their new manager to hit the ground running and turn them into a side constantly challenging for European qualification. After the start they had made to the season, all they were seeing was what a good job David Moyes had done to win a trophy with West Ham.
After the interval, Brentford seemed to be still in the changing rooms mentally. As The Hammers came forward, they failed to clear their lines after the visitors had a number of swipes at the ball. It finally broke to Soucek as he slotted it past Flekken to equalise. The goal was made all the better by a couple of sublime backheels from Bowen in the build-up.
The game changed completely after the West Ham goal. Lopetegui’s team dominated the half and Brentford struggled to form a single attack. Instead they were dropping deep and looking to get numbers behind the ball. This is where Thomas Frank’s side struggle as they are not really equipped for this style of play.
When you look at The Bees on paper, all of their star players are attackers. When they come forward, they are capable of giving any side problems. When the roles are reversed, they are hardly an impenetrable fortress at the back. Flekken is in good form this season but he cannot do it all on his own and they miss some leaders in defence.
Van den Berg has come in from Liverpool but he was playing right back. This is never a position he ever played during his time at Anfield. He is a competent defender but is definitely more suited to a centre-back role. Despite having a good season last campaign, Pinnock’s decision making has been questionable so far and he has cost them goals.
Although they cannot do anything about it now until January, this side looks like it could really do with a holding midfielder who will sit in front of the back four and break up the opponent’s attacks. Much in the way that Palhinha had been doing for Fulham until his move to Bayern Munich. However, these players are not easy to find.
Deep into added time, The Hammers were looking the most likely to grab a winner. As the ball was lofted into the box, it bounced in front of Soler, with his back to goal. He tried to hook it over his shoulder and Flekken got a touch to the effort before it hit the top of the crossbar and went behind. The referee awarded a corner to the visitors.
Try as they might, Lopetegui’s side could not create much in terms of clear goalscoring chances. Statistically, they should have won this game but they were on the backfoot for much of the game after going behind so early on. The spoils were shared, it was a point apiece as the full time whistle sounded. It had been a frustrating afternoon for both sets of fans.
Brentford moved to eleventh in the table as they leapfrogged Man Utd. West Ham are in fourteenth position and perilously close to the bottom three. As it stands, they are only two points clear of Crystal Palace in that final relegation spot. This is a club in transition, how the project goes will all depend on the patience of the owners and fans.
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