West Ham show first signs of needing a rest - not an international break

West Ham's Premier League defeat against Brentford really was a tale of two halves.

The first saw David Moyes' side played off the park by a Brentford side who didn't look anything like a newly promoted outfit from the Championship - far from it, in fact.

Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo were electrifying up front, pulling Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna all over the place, while their midfield overran and pressed West Ham to death. The Bees ran the show for the first half hour, and Thomas Frank's side could conceivably have been 3-0 or 4-0 up at the break.

The second 45 minutes - probably delivered after a rocket up the backside from Moyes - was a completely different story.

West Ham had intent, purpose and rhythm to their attacking play, targeting Brentford in the wide areas in particular by looking to get Vladimir Coufal further forward. Michail Antonio came to life and there wasn't a supporter in the stadium who could have argued against the Hammers levelling the scores with ten minutes to go.

There also wasn't a West Ham supporter in the ground who could argue the fact that the players looked knackered, despite their improved showing - you only needed to see Declan Rice lying prone on the ground late on having both of his cramping hamstrings stretched for evidence.

Brentford would nick a late winner in stoppage-time through Yoane Wissa, the second time in as many home games that a point had escaped the Irons in the dying embers. The goal came from a poorly dealt with free-kick, but the reason West Ham lost this game wasn't solely down to their inability to clear their lines from a set-piece. They were tired, they were leggy and they need rest.

Sadly, for many, that 'rest' comes in the form of an international break.

Thousands of international air miles will be chalked up over the next couple of weeks as West Ham's stars jet off all around the world to play for their countries, but what many of the group could really do with - some players more than others - is the chance to regroup.

David Moyes wants his Hammers to do well in all competitions, of course he does. Premier League, Europa League, Carabao Cup, it doesn't matter - he wants to win. But to do that, he's playing a core nucleus of players over and over and over again, and the game against Brentford was the first sign that it's taking its toll on his relatively small squad.

After a summer of international football, which followed a ridiculously crammed 2020/21 season, it's hardly surprising to see players struggling. Tomas Soucek, for example, has played more football in the last 12 months than most of us have had hot dinners, and his body has had very little time to get over the 50-odd games he has played.

Against Brentford, the Czech star - more so than others it must be said - was anonymous. Bypassed by Brentford having an extra man in midfield, he was nowhere to be seen during the key moments of the game.

Instead, he was chasing shadows or lurking outside of the box - not flinging himself in to win headers like he's done for the past 12 to 18 months. He was pretty much a spectator. Nobody can blame Soucek, if honest. The workload has been extreme and you can't be expected to continually deliver when your legs are failing you.

Moyes will take some of the flak for his minutes played domestically, but it's obvious that the Scot doesn't fully trust the likes of Nikola Vlasic and Alex Kral - that's his decision to make as a manager and it must be respected.

Yet if West Ham want to continue playing the way do, delivering the results Moyes wants, something has to give - his players need a rest and they need it badly.

For more from Toby Cudworth, follow him on Twitter!