West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui pulled no punches following his side’s 3-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in todays pre-season friendly.
The Hammers produced a lacklustre performance, prompting Lopetegui to issue a stern warning to his players. He emphasised the need for significant improvement ahead of the Premier League season opener in three weeks’ time.
While acknowledging the presence of new signings and academy players, Lopetegui refused to accept it as an excuse for the team’s shortcomings.
“We are aware that we have to work very hard in the next three weeks to be ready for the start of the Premier League,” Lopetegui declared.
He further elaborated, “Today, Wolves were better and they deserved to win. We have to do a lot of things but despite the fact we have a lot of new players and a lot of Academy players, it is not an excuse.”
Lopetegui pinpointed both attacking and defensive deficiencies: “I think that we have to improve in a lot of things with and without the ball, so we have a lot of work to do in front of us.”
“We have to do a lot better and a lot of much better things to win the matches, so that’s why I told the players the demands will be higher and we have to try to translate this in the next three weeks,” he concluded.
Lopetegui’s assertive approach sends a clear message to his squad. The upcoming weeks will be crucial for West Ham as they strive to reach the level of competitiveness expected by their new manager
If he’s going to b* the players, demand more, and show the importance of getting signings in, I’m all for pre-season defeats.
Defeat is the best thing that could happen..it highlights the problem areas which we all know already and shows up players who cannot and will not be able to work in Jlo’s system…Zouma/Soucek/Cornet to begin with…..shipping these players out is a must but also a tough ask as none will command a high fee but the deadwood has to be cut out and brutally so…..this will then hopefully get them to kick there agents backside and find them a club.
Indeed Mavded. Nicely summarised.
We are not a great footballing team yet, we haven’t been one for several seasons so it’s going to take a few transfer windows to recruit suitable players for a new style of play.
Personally I have accepted the upcoming season as one of transition. It’s going to potentially be a rollercoaster which could see us sliding down the table before ascending again.
Patience please fellow Hammers. Please!
Here are the key points from the page:
Disappointing Loss: West Ham United lost 3-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly.
Lopetegui’s Demands: Manager Julen Lopetegui emphasized the need for significant improvement before the Premier League season starts.
No Excuses: Despite new signings and academy players, Lopetegui refused to accept excuses for the team’s performance.
Areas for Improvement: Lopetegui highlighted both attacking and defensive deficiencies that need addressing.
A meaningless match, but a useful wake up call for any players feeling a bit complacent.
Having played such a defensive system for so long, there are one or two who won’t be able to rely on the buffer of a low block.