West Ham slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Brentford last weekend at the London Stadium.
The Hammers went into the game with much optimism, following the return to the squad of Lucas Paqueta, Edson Alvarez and Jean-Clair Todibo. Evan Ferguson and James Ward-Prowse also joined the squad for the first time this season.
With recent performances giving Hammers fans hope they could get a win against the Bees, it was an incredibly disappointing result for the side against a team with only two away wins to their name all season.
The first half was what lost the game for West Ham, with Brentford outperforming the hosts in all departments, and in truth, could have easily gone into the break three or four up.
The opener was a bit of a calamity at the back for the Hammers, and following a couple of brilliant saves from Alphonse Areola, who thought he made a heroic third, Kevin Schade’s effort had this time crossed the line and gave the visitors an early lead.
West Ham were incredibly exposed throughout the first 45 minutes, giving away the ball far too easily, and Brentford’s attacks were like a hot knife through butter.
Fortunate to be only one behind at the break, West Ham improved in the second half, and despite not many clear-cut opportunities produced, it was a far more controlled and promising period for the Hammers.
It’s for this reason, though, that overall this will be an incredibly difficult result for Potter to take, as there appeared to be glimpses of improvement in the game, but ultimately the first half was a huge step back for the Hammers who had a far stronger squad than previous games.
It’s a lesson learnt for Potter and West Ham, and this result will teach him quite a lot about the side and areas that need fast improvement.
The good and the bad performers
It feels harsh to pick on individuals in what was an extremely poor performance, but Mohammed Kudus’ display was once more incredibly disappointing.
Hammers fans will always put aside poor individual performances if the player is giving 110%, but this has just simply not been the case for far too long now for the Ghanaian, who just doesn’t seem interested, and to put it bluntly, has been lazy.
Kudus was West Ham’s joint worst performer according to SofaScore, accompanied by Carlos Soler, and this was epitomised by his miss from close range that should have levelled things up for the Hammers in the second half.
It’s a shame to see, particularly for a player who was simply outstanding last season, racking up 14 goals and 6 assists.
On a more positive note, substitutes Ferguson, Ward-Prowse and Ollie Scarles all impressed in the second half, and will all have to be in contention to start on Saturday’s visit to Arsenal.
Ferguson appeared to give the Hammers a more focal point in the final third, and his hunger to play is something that West Ham will need in coming games, while Ward-Prowse and Scarles showed strong performances in areas of the pitch which need improving.
The defeat is a real blow for West Ham, particularly ahead of a tough trip to the Emirates this weekend, and it now takes Potter’s record to just one win in six games.
