Sport nationWest Ham Player Ratings vs Brentford: Lopetegui’s Ludicrous Substitution Costs Team
Julen Lopetegui looks like a man who has aged 10 years in the last two months, and it’s no wonder after another disappointing West Ham result. Off the back of just one Premier League win from his first five games, the pressure was on Lopetegui ahead of West Ham’s 1-1 draw at Brentford.
The Spaniard had a golden opportunity to change the negative narrative surrounding him in east London. West Ham were at full strength, bar Niclas Fullkrug, while Brentford were missing no fewer than eight key players. The Bees had to play two centre-backs at full-back, making this a seemingly winnable game for West Ham.
However, within seconds, West Ham found themselves in familiar territory – behind. The world and its wife knows Brentford have scored inside 30 seconds in each of their last two games. Lopetegui would surely have his team switched on to that clear and present danger? Apparently not.
West Ham’s meek start to the game saw them concede after just 37 seconds. This lackluster beginning has become a recurring theme, highlighting the team’s inability to establish a clear pattern of play or style.
There are still no clear patterns of play, style, or identity at West Ham. Lopetegui may have had a big turnover of players in the summer, but managers at other clubs have made a more immediate impact in similar circumstances.
After making some unwelcome club history by losing their first three home league games for the first time in 129 years, the pressure was on Lopetegui at Brentford. The top source inside the club revealed West Ham’s board had told Lopetegui ‘the next two are huge and we must improve.’
Any improvement there has been is minimal, as West Ham always look open and vulnerable at the back without posing any real threat up top. Lopetegui has angered and baffled fans in equal measure with his team selections and substitutions.
Supporters were livid when they saw he had dropped Crysencio Summerville for the Brentford game, with Michail Antonio starting up front once again. To make matters worse, Lopetegui subbed West Ham’s best player, Mohammed Kudus, at halftime.
Tony Gale on commentary revealed word from the touchline reporter was that it was a tactical call to sub Kudus off. This comes one week after Lopetegui was jeered by 60,000 West Ham fans at the London Stadium for subbing off their best player – Summerville – during the defeat to Chelsea.
Lopetegui is his own worst enemy with ludicrous substitutions yet again. The second half was a major improvement on the first, but that wasn’t too difficult. West Ham’s Achilles heel is that they simply do not create enough clear goalscoring opportunities, making life very difficult indeed.
Tomas Soucek rescued the Hammers again with a scrappy goal after some neat approach play. However, this is an underwhelming result given Brentford’s injury crisis and West Ham’s desperation for a win.
Alphonse Areola’s performance was mediocre, earning him a 6/10 rating. He still pulls off excellent saves but has stopped commanding his box, making the entire defence nervous. Distribution has also been poor. However, Areola is the least of West Ham’s worries.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was arguably West Ham’s best player on the day, making rampaging runs and proving his attacking prowess. He played really well, especially going forward, and was even better when he switched to left-back in the second half, earning an 8/10 rating.
Jean-Clair Todibo looked very good considering this was his first Premier League start for the Hammers. He reads the game extremely well, is composed and comfortable on the ball, and brings much better balance to central defence alongside Max Kilman. With more games, the Frenchman looks like he will be a real star for this team as it evolves.
Max Kilman was good yet again, earning a 7/10 rating. So comfortable on the ball like Todibo, this could be the start of a really good partnership once the midfield situation gets sorted. Kilman was key to getting West Ham up the pitch and starting attacks.
Emerson Palmieri had a poor performance, earning a 4/10 rating. He was turned inside out within the first 15 seconds, which set the tone for the early goal. Really poor performance in which he looked well off the pace. Deservedly subbed off at halftime.
Konstantinos Mavropanos played at right-back, where he’s featured for Stuttgart in the past. He did well and showed a good attitude after being dropped. Has enough pace and mobility to be an emergency option in that position.
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