Graham Potter says the only three West Ham players were at the races during shambolic Brentford defeat. Graham Potter was clearly not happy with the West Ham United players’ performance against Brentford on Saturday.
The tense atmosphere inside the London Stadium during our defeat to Brentford summed up exactly how the West Ham fans are feeling right now. The Hammers were incredibly poor against the Bees, and Graham Potter will be under no illusions regarding the size of the task lying ahead of him.
The Hammers head coach is said to be planning a big squad rebuild in the summer, but it will take a lot more than just new players to fix the damaged culture at the London Stadium.
Half of the players in that team on Saturday couldn’t care less about playing for West Ham, I’m convinced of it.
It was a display completely devoid of any kind of intensity, aggression or passion, and that certainly isn’t the West Ham way. Things did improve after half-time, but only slightly.
Potter will find out very quickly that there are players in this squad who he can trust and those who he simply needs to sell.
Graham Potter praises 3 West Ham players after Brentford defeat
The former Brighton boss has to start getting things right from kick-off.
One major reason why Julen Lopetegui failed so badly at the London Stadium was his inability to get his setup and team selection correct from the first whistle. The Spaniard made more half-time changes than any other manager in the Premier League before his sacking.
And Potter must learn from that.
The 49-year-old spoke to reporters after the Brentford defeat, and suggested that only three players deserve credit following the shambolic performance against the Bees.
Potter told WHUFC.com how his side showed much more promise in the second-half: “The second half was really positive. I thought Evan came on and did well. James showed his quality. Ollie had an impact. We pushed and pushed.“
Ward-Prowse, Scarles and Ferguson to start vs Arsenal?
West Ham face a clash with title-chasing Arsenal at The Emirates next weekend.
The game will obviously be a very tough one for the Hammers, but if Potter gets his setup correct from the first whistle, we will definitely have a chance.
And in order to cause Arsenal some real problems, James Ward-Prowse, Ollie Scarles and Evan Ferguson all have to start in place of Emerson Palmieri, Tomas Soucek and Carlos Soler.
All three showed really positive signs when they came on and crucially, they at least had some impetus and intent about the way they played.
Graham Potter clearly realised that as well, and I would be shocked if all three don’t start our game against Arsenal next weekend. The Hammers boss cannot continue to put misplaced faith in underperforming players.
