After last weekend’s win over Chelsea, Brentford face another London derby this Saturday (3pm kick-off) and like many games in the capital, it’s one the Bees have relished in recent seasons.
In four Premier League games against West Ham United, Thomas Frank’s side have won all four, most recently a 2-0 win at the Gtech Community Stadium thanks to goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa.
Pre-match analysis
Richard Cole, Playmaker Stats: Brentford must guard against West Ham’s counter-attacking threat
While the recent head-to-head record favors Brentford, there are some similarities between the Bees and West Ham this season.
Just one point separates the two sides after 10 games played with both having scored 16 goals each, although the Bees have had the more resolute defense conceding just 12 compared to the Hammers’ 17.
Both teams are also among the best in the Premier League in terms of their heads. David Moyes’ side had the second most headed attempts with 34 all season, just two more than the Bees with 32 (Luton Town have the most with 36).
However, West Ham have been clinical with their headers, scoring five – joint-most in the division with Nottingham Forest – while Brentford have converted two so far.
Accordingly, the two teams are among the leaders for aerial duels won. West Ham’s 151 aerial duels won puts them sixth in the rankings, while Brentford top the table with 170 (putting the Bees fourth).
The Hammers, who didn’t win any of their Premier League games in October, are much more comfortable without possession, something Brentford are also linked with. Perhaps West Ham are even more economical without the ball though – evidenced by their relatively low average possession this season (40.6 per cent – fourth lowest and behind Brentford’s 47 per cent).
That low possession may also explain why West Ham generally concede a lot of opposition shots – an average of 17.4 per game – so the hosts on Saturday will have chances.
In fact, only Sheffield United had opponents fire more attempts (20.3 per game) while Brentford conceded 13.2 shots per game on average.
Brentford will need to be careful when building their attacks against West Ham, who have the highest interceptions per game (10.1) in the league.
These cut-backs are very useful in starting a potentially lethal counter-attack with only Liverpool having scored more on the counter (4) than West Ham (3) this campaign.
Indeed, West Ham have some dangerous players that the Brentford defense will have to watch out for. In particular, there is the danger of Jarrod Bowen, who has six Premier League goals so far this season – only Erling Haaland and Son Heung-Min have scored more goals without a penalty.
Scout Report
Cup success provides West Ham fans with a welcome distraction
After finishing sixth and seventh, there was no doubt that West Ham were looking to be there or thereabouts in the Premier League last term.
Good times are back in east London after quite a few comfortable, if unpleasant, years finishing in the middle of the pack.
But things didn’t turn out that way. Their remarkable inconsistency in performance and results meant they briefly slipped into the relegation zone on a few occasions en route to finishing 14th, just six points above the relegation zone and with their joint second-lowest tally of the last decade . (40).
However, while their league form has been faltering, the Europa Conference League has been their saving grace. In UEFA’s newest club competition, they delivered near perfection.
David Moyes’ Hammers have won 14 of their 15 games in the competition – drawing 1-1 with Belgian side Gent in the first leg of the quarter-finals – and lifted their first silverware in 43 years after winning 2-1. Fiorentina in June.
“I’ve had a long career in football and you don’t get many moments like that,” a delighted Moyes said in Prague. “If anyone had said three years ago when I took over that we would avoid relegation and finish in Europe, I would have said they were crazy.”
While West Ham fans enjoyed the success they had long craved, perhaps the icing on the cake was that Declan Rice reiterated his commitment to the club shortly after the full-time whistle despite ongoing rumors of interest from above. “I’m captain of this club, I love it and I can’t speak highly enough of this place.”
Ultimately, hope was dashed. In mid-July, the midfielder joined Arsenal for an initial fee of £100m and £5m in add-ons. Moyes wanted to use the available funds to strengthen but friction between himself, technical director Tim Steidten and co-owner David Sullivan over targets has reportedly left his job in the balance with days to go until the start of the new season .
There was movement at the end, with ex-Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos brought in from Stuttgart, as well as James Ward-Prowse from Southampton and Edson Alvarez and Mohamed Koudos from Ajax. Manchester United’s pursuit of Scott McTominay would have to take a back seat.
Ward-Prowse in particular looks to be a great signing. The 28-year-old – who played more than 400 games for the Saints – has made 12 appearances for the Hammers, scoring twice and providing six assists. Somehow, a return to the England team has so far eluded him.
Overall, on the pitch, things were looking pretty rosy ahead of the September international break, which saw them finish fourth in the Premier League. “It’s incredibly satisfying,” Moyes said after the 2-1 win at Luton on September 1 – their third in a row.
Things started to slide a little after that. They lost 3-1 to both Manchester City and Liverpool but, as had been the case the previous year, the cup competition was a distraction. By beating Backa Topola and Freiburg, the Hammers extended their unbeaten run in European competition to 17 games – a British record – while also seeing off Lincoln City to qualify for the Carabao Cup.
But now things seem to be turning ever so slightly sour. West Ham were booed after a 1-0 home defeat by Everton, which followed losses to Aston Villa and Olympiakos, and have kept just two clean sheets in 14 games in all competitions.
To say Moyes’ job is under threat would perhaps be an overreaction. Bookies currently have the Scot priced at 33/1 to be the next top manager to step down.
West Ham are in the top 10 and certainly have plenty of credit in the bank after last season’s European glory. But an important stage of the season is upon us and the expectations of Hammers fans are high and they are not going to drop.
In the dugout
David Moyes
Like the majority of his fellow Premier League managers, David Moyes had a long and successful career before turning to coaching.
He started at Celtic as a professional in 1980 – where he won the Scottish Championship in 1981/82 – and went on to play for Cambridge United, Bristol City, Shrewsbury, Dunfermline Athletic, Hamilton and Preston North End.
He was part of the North End team that won the Third Division in 1995/96 and retired aged 35, having played his last game in February 1998.
By this point, he had been appointed manager, a role for which he was well equipped, having begun his coaching credentials in his 20s.
Just over four years later, in March 2002, he was approached by Everton and they soon swapped the Second Division for the Premiership.
During his nine-year spell on Merseyside, Moyes brought a 16-year-old Wayne Rooney into the first team and, between 2006/07 and 2012/13, led the Toffees to seven consecutive top-eight finishes, as well as the 2008 FA Cup Final /09, which he lost 2-1 to Chelsea.
In the summer of 2013, he was given the unenviable task of replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but lasted less than 12 months of the six-year contract he signed and was sacked in April 2014.
A year in La Liga with Real Sociedad followed, where he won just 12 of his 42 games in charge, before returning to England with Sunderland. He won just eight of his 43 games there, his spell ending with the Black Cats relegated after a decade in the top flight.
Moyes was handed a six-month contract to take over at West Ham in November 2017 and was tasked with ensuring survival after the sacking of Slaven Bilic, which he did. However, his contract was not extended in the summer and he left the London Stadium after 31 games and a 29 per cent win rate.
The Scot returned to east London in December 2019 and has been in charge ever since.
The 60-year-old is one of a select group of managers to have reached 1,000 games in management and one of an even smaller group still adding to their tally.
The design of the game
With Sports Roshane Thomas
Roshane Thomas, West Ham correspondent for The Athleteexplains how David Moyes is likely to line up his team on Saturday:
“Moyes prefers to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation with a starting line-up of Alphonse Areola, Vladimír Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Emerson Palmieri, James Ward-Prowse, Edson Álvarez, Lucas Paquetá, Tomáš Souček. , Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio.
“It would be a huge surprise if he changes his formation for the game against Brentford, although his hand is forced in terms of personnel, with Alvarez and Paqueta ruled out for Saturday’s match against Brentford.”
Read the full interview with Roshane Thomas here
Match referees
Bramall handed Bradford the job
Referee: Thomas Bramall
Assistants: Simon Bennett and Mark Scholes
Fourth Official: John Busby
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Thomas Bramall made his Premier League debut in August 2022: Fulham’s 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
Including the game at Craven Cottage, Bramall refereed 33 games last term, showing 100 yellow cards and two reds.
Bramall’s most recent Brentford assignment was the Bees’ goalless draw with Bournemouth in October 2022.
Last Meeting
Brentford 2 West Ham United 0 (Premier League, 14 May 2023)
Thomas Frank recorded his 100th win as Brentford manager, confirming their top-10 finish in the Premier League, thanks to a 2-0 victory over West Ham United at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Despite leading scorer Ivan Toney missing with a minor hamstring injury, the Bees created chances at will against a much-changed Hammers side.
Bryan Mbeumo’s crisp finish opened the scoring after 20 minutes with Yoane Wissa slotting home a second just before the break.
The visitors threatened briefly after the break, Danny Ings having a goal chalked off by VAR for handball, but it was an otherwise comfortable afternoon in the west London sun for Frank’s Bees.