West Ham United are all set to take on Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
The clash with the Bees is a must not lose game, with West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui really feeling the heat right now.
It has actually been claimed in his home country that his job could be in danger if results don’t improve.
However, rumours doing the rounds in England suggest that his job is actually not under immediate threat.
I have to say, if we lose to Brentford tomorrow, Lopetegui will definitely face some challenging questions.
Hopefully that won’t happen, but Lopetegui unfortunately won’t have a full strength squad to choose from.
And one or two changes to his starting XI may well be on the cards.
Julen Lopetegui to give West Ham ace first start?
The Hammers head coach desperately needs a win after a really poor start to the 2024/25 season.
Brentford is a tough place to go, and West Ham haven’t won their in the league since 1953!
Hopefully that changes tomorrow, and Lopetegui will definitely have a few changes in mind as he looks to guide his side to all three points.
I actually feel like Andy Irving could be in contention to start the match, after some decent showings in our last two games.
He has played only 18 minutes Premier League action this season, and his time to shine may well not be too far away.
The Scot has established himself as somewhat of a cult hero at the London Stadium.
And what better way to enhance that hero status than by starting for us against Brentford this weekend.
Andy Irving still has a lot to prove
Irving joined the Hammers from SK Austria Klagenfurt on transfer deadline day back in the summer of 2023, for around £3 million (Sky Sports Austria).
I personally don’t think that the 24-year-old is cut-out to play Premier League football.
He’s not a bad player by any means, but he just doesn’t do anything special as far as I’m concerned.
The Scot quite simply doesn’t have that special sauce does he? Maybe I’ll be proved wrong, and I sincerely hope that I am.
After he made two substitute appearances against Chelsea and Liverpool respectively, Irving might just be on Lopetegui’s radar when it comes to naming his starting XI for West Ham’s clash vs Brentford.
With Edson Alvarez out through suspension, Irving may well get his chance to shine.
However, I still believe that the midfield three for the Brentford clash will consist of Guido Rodriguez, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta or Carlos Soler.
