Three West Ham Players With the Most to Prove vs. Brentford

West Ham dominated Wycombe and Ipswich this past week but with a tougher Brentford team up next, these three Hammers must impress in this preseason bout.

Two wins and a goal differential of nine for and two against is a pretty promising start for West Ham even if it was just Ipswich and Wycombe. With a much tougher Brentford team ready to play on Saturday a few players who need to stake their claim on regular minutes, none more than the following trio.

Manuel Lanzini

He looked great against Wycombe, bossing the match from the middle of the pitch and scoring a goal along the way. It isn’t too far fetched to believe Manuel Lanzini can have a great season this year because of how electric the jewel used to be, however his failure to impress Manuel Pellegrini and David Moyes last season is disheartening.

What Lanzini can do is think less and play more. When moving quickly and turning inside, the Argentine playmaker is at his best. He can make his wingers better and create space for his striker(s) with his deceptive runs and tricky passing. However, coming off of his injury, Lanzini has been thinking and second-guessing too much.

More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham

The goal for this match for Lanzini should be versatility. Whether it is centrally or out wide or even off the bench, Lanzini needs to embrace whatever amount of minute’s he’s given and prove that he doesn’t need to grow into a game and can be an instant impact.

Felipe Anderson

No goals or assists to his name against Ipswich, but Anderson impressed as a #10 and looked comfortable floating around the pitch in a free-roaming position. Many supporters have been calling for Anderson to be played centrally and it seemingly worked against the Blues. If he is given another chance to start he must run with it.

For Anderson, the name of the game is production. It doesn’t have to be goals and assists, but he needs to be the sparkplug supporters know he can be, getting forward and impacting the attack in every area of the attacking third. Nothing abstract or ceremonial, just simply help the attack and grow his confidence.

Arthur Masuaku

Can the Frenchman build off of a strong performance against Wycombe? Well, the Hammers are going to have to hope so as Cresswell underwhelmed at Ipswich. The left-back position is the weakest area on the pitch for the Hammers, but the upside of Masuaku as an attacker has supporters crossing their fingers that he can up his defensive game and take the reigns of this position.

The offensive side of the game comes naturally to Masuaku, so much so that many believe he isn’t really a defender at all. Maybe that is true, but for Masuaku and the team’s sake, he needs to be the left-back moving forward should he want minutes and should the team actually succeed this season.

Next. West Ham linked to former World Cup Winner. dark

For King Arthur, the name of the game is defensive responsibility. He can dribble, sprint, shoot, and cross the ball very well, but against Brentford in what should be a tryout for first-team minutes, Masuaku needs to prove to his manager that he is defensively responsible and can be trusted as a regular starter.