OPINION
West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini did not have a day to remember after his side lost 2-0 to Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday.
Chris Wood and Dwight McNeil condemned the Hammers to a defeat with two goals in the first half, a result which means West Ham now sit in 11th place in the Premier League.
Striker Marko Arnautovic returned to the starting XI for the first time since injuring his hamstring against Cardiff City on December 4, but his inclusion was obviously not enough to get a result.
After this loss, Pellegrini must return to the drawing board and make three changes to the side in order to field his strongest possible team against Brighton on Wednesday.
In goal, Lukasz Fabianski must start as normal.
The first change the manager must make should be in the shape of Michail Antonio, who once again filled in at right-back in the absence of Pablo Zabaleta. However, if the Argentine defender is well enough to feature, there is no doubt that he must replace he 28-year-old in the starting line-up.
Declan Rice must continue in his central midfield role, a position which he has been excelling in all season. His teammate Mark Noble – who is on £50,000-a-week [Spotrac] – must be ruthlessly axed, as his yellow card against the Clarets proved he is still reckless with his tackles. The woeful midfielder must be replaced by Pedro Obiang, who played excellently alongside Rice against Southampton.
Robert Snodgrass and Felipe Anderson must retain their places in the team, while Pellegrini must start Grady Diangana on the left, which means Lucas Perez must drop out as a result.
Marko Arnautovic must start up front on his own, where he is bound to impress if Anderson is able to work his usual magic.
If Pellegrini makes the right decisions regarding his starting XI, his team will have more than enough to blitz past Brighton with ease.
