West Ham defender Joël Veltman has admitted that the Hammers’ habit of starting matches poorly must change, with Scott Parker facing an immediate challenge against Blackburn Rovers this afternoon.
Speaking in an interview with the club’s official website, Veltman acknowledged that Wednesday’s disastrous first half against Cardiff City was hardly an isolated incident. West Ham recovered from three goals down to draw 3-3, but the Dutchman knows they cannot keep relying on second-half comebacks.
“It wasn’t the first time we haven’t started so well,” admitted Veltman, who wants West Ham to begin against Blackburn with the same intensity they showed after the interval in Wales.
West Ham’s Biggest Problem Is Mentality
Personally, I think West Ham’s slow starts and early capitulations are definitely a mentality problem. Nothing demonstrated that more clearly than the transformation at half-time against Cardiff, when a team that had looked completely traumatised and shell-shocked suddenly emerged looking like an entirely different side.
Of course, some of that improvement was tactical, but I’m not entirely convinced how many tactics you can impart in 15 minutes. What Parker, Mark Noble and Jarrod Bowen clearly managed to do was give the players a lift, and the difference in their attitude was extraordinary.
I’ve thought from day one that this was probably the easiest improvement any new manager could make with the current group of players. If West Ham approach matches with a positive attitude and a genuine desire to win rather than playing fearfully, I suspect much of the problem could be addressed with a decent team talk.
That doesn’t mean tactics and team selection are irrelevant, but the players have already demonstrated they possess considerably more ability than their recent performances suggest. Parker’s first job is surely to convince them of that.
Veltman Could Be Key To Bowen’s Freedom
Veltman himself was absolutely brilliant during the second half against Cardiff, and I think he could become an important player under Parker. His composure and positioning at right-back could allow Jarrod Bowen the freedom to drift into central areas, where the West Ham captain caused absolute havoc on Wednesday evening.
Bowen was instrumental in the comeback, and having a dependable defender behind him could make that attacking freedom much easier to accommodate. It’s another reason why I’d like to see Veltman retain his place against Blackburn.
The defender certainly recognises the opportunity ahead, telling the club: “We want to go into another away game on Saturday and start where we finished.”
That really is the challenge for Parker. West Ham don’t need to discover some previously hidden ability between now and kick-off; they need to reproduce the confidence, aggression and positive mentality they finally showed during those remarkable 45 minutes against Cardiff.