“Bouncebackability” | Not Perfect But Lopetegui Will Be Grateful For Fightback

While West Ham’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Brentford was no classic, Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui must be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

No doubt he would have preferred to come away from West London with three points, but considering the Hammers were a goal down after only 23 seconds, I’m sure a point will come as some consolation.

Most importantly, the team’s response to going behind so early in what was a crucial fixture for Lopetegui’s future was commendable. The Hammers players did not let their heads drop and barely conceded another shot on Alphonse Areola’s goal during the first half.

It would have been easy for a team that is clearly lacking confidence and familiarity to capitulate after conceding what must have been a devastating blow so soon after the referee’s whistle.

In many ways, it was fitting that West Ham scored a scrappy goal from Tomas Soucek because the team had to fight hard to stay composed and not let their heads drop.

Lopetegui made some tough calls at halftime, which undoubtedly upset a couple of players. However, I was pleased to see both him and the team be proactive in trying to secure points from a game that could have been dead and buried after five minutes.

These may only be baby steps, but they give the team something to build on and buy the Irons boss another week to figure out what his best team is.