Head Coach Graham Potter insists there are a number of reasons to be excited about West Ham United’s return to match action at home to Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.
Little under two weeks after the Hammers’ narrow defeat at local rivals Chelsea, they are set to host the Bees in their second of three consecutive London derbies, looking to bounce back to winning ways and improve their current 16th-place standing in the table.
The recent arrival of forward Evan Ferguson and the return of midfielder James Ward-Prowse from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest have boosted Potter’s preparations, and he is excited about what the duo can offer his team in the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.
Similarly, encouraging news about the fitness of Lucas Paquetá, Edson Álvarez and Jean-Clair Todibo has delivered a boost in the run-up to this weekend’s clash, in which all in Claret and Blue will be aiming to match their 4-2 triumph in this fixture last term.
In the sides’ last meeting, at the Gtech Community Stadium in September, a second-half Tomáš Souček equaliser helped earn a share of the spoils after Bryan Mbeumo’s first-minute opener, and the latter - who has scored 14 goals in 24 games this campaign - will be among Brentford’s many threats to keep an eye on in east London.
The Bees - who have consistently impressed in the top flight since gaining promotion from the EFL Championship in 2020/21 - are eleventh in the ranks, and though they have won just two of their last nine contests, both victories have come on the road, at Southampton and Crystal Palace.
A mouth-watering match-up lies in store then, and little over 48 hours ahead of kick-off, Potter sat down with the gathered press to discuss his team’s work in training, the impact of Ferguson and Ward-Prowse, and what he’s expecting from Thomas Frank’s troops.
Strong work behind the scenes
We didn’t have a game last week, and we’ve tried to use the time we’ve had as well as possible.
The players have trained well, and we’ve used the opportunity to get the injured players back as well. So, it’s been a combination of a few things, as well as the recovery of the players who have been playing, and we’ll go into the last 14 games of the season with a bit of freshness now.
That’s something we’re really excited about, and we’re going to try and pick up as many points as we can, starting at home against Brentford on Saturday.
Ferguson fit and firing
He’s trained well since he’s come in, and he’s certainly showed his quality. The situation with Evan is that he hasn’t played that much football recently, so we have to be a bit careful with how many minutes he plays and whether he starts.
But he’s been great, and I think he’s only going to get stronger and better during the time he’s here with us. He’s ready to help the team, and we’ll make the decision about his involvement as we get closer to the game.
Changing look up front?
With Evan coming in, it’s a different dynamic to what we’ve had. We’ve used Mo [Kudus] and Lucas [Paquetá] up there over the last few weeks, and we’ve had to adapt a bit in terms of how we can attack [due to injuries]. Obviously bringing in a focal point up front changes that dynamic.
I do think Lucas played that role well against Aston Villa, so we’ve got a few options now, which is good. Evan will bring his own quality and level of play - he’s a good finisher and he can link the play well, and once we have Crysencio [Summerville] back from injury as well we’ll have even more options up there.
Welcoming back Ward-Prowse
It’s good to have him back with us. He adds his experience, his quality all over the pitch, his set-pieces and everything else.
He’s a really high level, experienced player who knows the Premier League and understands what you need to do every day to be a top player, so that’s really helpful for us and we’ve all been really impressed with him so far.
Braced for the Bees
They’ve done a great deal of consistent work over a long period of time, and Thomas [Frank] and his staff have done a wonderful job.
Brentford have improved all the time, and they’ve overcome having to sell a number of players. When they’re in the game they defend high really well and aggressively, but they can also defend deep well. They attack big spaces, and they’ve improved their build-up a lot.
I think they’ve just maximised everything they’ve had, so credit to everyone there. We know it’s going to be a tough game. At the same time, we’re looking forward to it and are excited about it.
Danger men
Brentford have lots of quality, and they [Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa] are part of a team that functions well. I think [Mikkel] Damsgaard helps them by linking the game really well, and [Kevin] Schade on the other side provides a threat. They’ve got an understanding of how they want to build up, and I think that’s really improved.
The two sixes in the midfield connect the game really well. They can be direct, but they can also build through the thirds, so I think Mbeumo and Wissa are strong, but they are because they are part of a well-functioning team.
