Lopetegui: We Can Do Better

Hammers head coach Julen Lopetegui appeared reasonably pleased with West Ham’s point against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The Spaniard addressed the press following the Premier League match and was quick to praise the Houdini-like performance of striker Danny Ings, who rescued the game in injury time.

Lopetegui had every reason to be pleased with the veteran striker, too. Had Ings not secured an undeserved point for West Ham, more questions would have been raised about the Irons’ manager’s lineup.

As one would expect from a football manager, his view of the game probably differs from those watching as bystanders, but he seemed satisfied with a point against Fulham. Marco Silva’s team is well-balanced, combining creativity and pace, and they will likely trouble many teams this season.

Speaking after the game, Lopetegui said: “The belief and the effort were good, but it was a tough match today, and we could have done certain things better.

I know playing Fulham at their home ground is always hard, and they were good today. But at the same time, we can do better, and we will work on a lot of things ahead of the next game.

One important thing we did well was keeping it at 1-0 and not letting Fulham score again.

The second goal in a match is so important because it can kill or close a game.

We had spells in the first half, but they were better despite not having too many clear-cut chances. However, in the second half, we improved, and the changes we made helped balance things.

We pushed forward, and the players kept fighting and believing, and thankfully we got the goal we wanted when it mattered.”

He’s certainly not wrong about the timing of the goal, and with Ings, Lopetegui has much to be thankful for.