West Ham starting XI v Brentford: Maxwel Cornet starts, nine changes made
West Ham United have confirmed their starting XI for their Premier League clash against Brentford on Sunday afternoon.
Maxwel Cornet has been given his first Premier League start of 2023, coming in to replace Jarrod Bowen. David Moyes has made eight other changes with Danny Ings replacing Michail Antonio, Pablo Fornals coming in for Lucas Paqueta and, Manuel Lanzini for Said Benrahma.
Elsewhere Declan Rice has been replaced by Flynn Downes, Ben Johnson has come in for Thilo Kehrer, Angelo Ogbonna replaced Kurt Zouma and Emerson starts ahead of Aaron Cresswell.
Nayef Aguerd and Tomas Soucek are the only two players to remain from the 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar.
Pressure off
With West Ham’s Premier League status all but secure, there’s a chance for the players to enjoy themselves this afternoon. The win over Manchester United has eased relegation fears. Moyes has managed to deliver when it matters most.
We all know what the priority is now. The Conference League semi-final second leg against AZ Alkmaar has to be the main focus now. Winning the competition will see West Ham play European football for the third consecutive season.
It’s produced some memorable moments over the past two years and the London Stadium faithful will be desperate for a piece of silverware. It’s been far too long. A club of West Ham’s size needs to be putting something in the trophy cabinet from time to time.
Moyes does deserve credit. He’s come back from the brink a number of times this season and looks likely to remain in his role come the summer.