Julen Lopetegui believes he has the attacking tools at his disposal to make it a hat-trick of wins over Manchester United this Sunday. West Ham United have enjoyed success against the Red Devils on home turf in recent times, winning 2-0 just before Christmas last year, and triumphing by a solitary Saïd Benrahma strike in the previous season. Now, as Erik ten Hag brings his side to east London, the Irons are searching for their best form, having beaten Ipswich Town 4-1 last time out at home, but then suffered defeat by the same scoreline at Tottenham Hotspur a week ago. The Irons will have to do without Mohammed Kudus after the wingman was sent-off in that loss in north London, but Lopetegui is sure he has the players to step up in his place. One such player could be summer signing Crysencio Summerville, who the head coach says has all the qualities to succeed in east London.
“Cry was a good signing, for sure, for the Club, not only for this year, but for a lot of years. And Luis Guilherme too, they are both very young.
“[Summerville is] a winger, and he wants to drive. He holds the ball, he doesn't lose the ball easily.
“I think he's one smart boy, he works hard. I think it's a good profile to work with him and to develop as a good player, for sure.
“He has played in all the matches, and the player that plays 25 minutes or 20 minutes [is just as important]. Sometimes it's key.
“We have to get used to putting importance to the bench player, to the substitutions. Sometimes you have a player that has his quality too.
“He has also played from the start and he played very well. But it is true that for me we have to put the focus in all the players, in all the squad.”
Another player with undoubted quality in the forward areas is Lopetegui’s skipper Jarrod Bowen.
The 27-year-old already has three goals to his name this season and the boss says his contribution goes far beyond what is seen on the pitch.
“I am sure that he is going to become a legend in the Club,” Lopetegui added.
“I am sure. But now he has to work a lot and he has to do his way because he is [still] young. But he has the profile, perfect profile.
“He loves the Club. He has quality as a player.
“He has good behaviour, big commitment. And now he is trying to learn the work of a captain. Because it is a different work.
“A captain has to help the team and his mates to develop his work.
“And to become a strong team about the character and the personality. And for sure Jarrod is ready to do this.”
Julen Lopetegui has praised the club’s wingers ahead of a huge clash with Manchester United at the London Stadium this weekend.
The West Ham head coach will be desperate for a win this weekend and looks set to let wingers Jarrod Bowen and Cryseciao Summerville flourish in order to do so. The Hammers will be without the suspended Mohammed Kudus, so Summerville has a huge opportunity to step up on the left flank.
Lopetegui said: “Cry (Crysencio Summerville) was a good signing, for sure, for the Club, not only for this year, but for a lot of years. And Luis Guilherme too, they are both very young. [Summerville is] a winger, and he wants to drive. He holds the ball, he doesn’t lose the ball easily.
“I think he’s one smart boy, he works hard. I think it’s a good profile to work with him and to develop as a good player, for sure.
“He has played in all the matches, and the player that plays 25 minutes or 20 minutes [is just as important]. Sometimes it’s key. We have to get used to putting importance to the bench player, to the substitutions. Sometimes you have a player that has his quality too.
“He has also played from the start and he played very well. But it is true that for me we have to put the focus in all the players, in all the squad.”
Lopetegui also spoke about Jarrod Boweb’s importance to both the team and the club as a whole. The 27-year-old was named club captain this summer after the departure of Kurt Zouma. He has started the season well, but he is still learning the role of captain.
The 27-year-old already has three goals to his name this season and the boss says his contribution goes far beyond what is seen on the pitch.
“I am sure that he is going to become a legend in the Club I am sure. But now he has to work a lot and he has to do his way because he is [still] young. But he has the profile, perfect profile. He loves the Club. He has quality as a player. He has good behaviour, big commitment. And now he is trying to learn the work of a captain. Because it is a different work.
“A captain has to help the team and his mates to develop his work. And to become a strong team about the character and the personality. And for sure Jarrod is ready to do this.”
Hammers fans will be hoping Bowen can strike up a relationship with Summerville that he has had with Kudus in recent weeks, those two have been the two bright sparks for West Ham in a tough spell. Summerville has looked promising in his limited minutes so far, so he will want to take this opportunity to start with both hands and cause a headache for when Kudus returns from suspension at the end of next month.
Julen Lopetegui spoke to the media at Rush Green training ground ahead of Sunday’s Premier League fixture between his West Ham United and Manchester United at London Stadium.
West Ham’s form has been inconsistent so far this season, with only one win in the last seven matches and only two clean sheets in all competitions. The previous three Premier League games have seen West Ham draw, lose and win one each, scoring six goals and conceding six, and Lopetegui knows his team need to tighten up all over the pitch to achieve a greater level of consistency.
The Irons will go into the game without Mohammed Kudus after the attacker was sent-off at Tottenham, but the Spaniard has confidence in the ‘next man up’ to take the Ghanaian’s place on the pitch on Sunday and put in a performance for his team.
Always we work and we live for the victories, to have victories, and for sure it will be very good for all of us and for the fans, but I prefer not to imagine the victory. I prefer to work to achieve the victory. This is the thing that we have to do.
Right now we have nothing, so we have to work very hard, be focused, believe in ourselves, and be ready to compete in the best way to be able to win the match.
We have to improve in our consistency because we are playing against different teams, because in each match a lot of things happen and there are key points, that sometimes work in your favour and sometimes against, but for sure we have to try to be more consistent and to play better, too. This is my aim.
I can imagine that what this team can develop into and what it can do, and we are going to work for this and develop and I am sure this idea is going to be real as soon as possible. I am sure that we are going to play well and that we are going to win matches. We have the focus in this.
Always the defensive work is about all the team. Sometimes in your individual defensive work you can do better, too, but it's up to the team.
We talk a lot about this and I think that the team have to be more consistent, for sure, trying to be in the same way and to be aggressive in the opposition box as well, so this is our work. I am sure that we are going to achieve this level, for sure.
In the meantime, we have to put the focus in the next challenge and that is Manchester United.
I am not going to talk about one colleague or another club [like Erik ten Hag and Manchester United]. I can talk about me and we are going to play against a very big team. Manchester United is one of the best teams in the world and we have to be ready to face them, and we have to be ready to do well, to play well, to work hard, to be able to beat them. That is going to be our aim.
Unfortunately, Mo Kudus is going to be out for many matches because his behaviour was not good, and he knows that. I think it was a pity, because he did a good match and he was very close to scoring two goals, but this frustration sometimes you have to handle and to manage and it is one thing he has to learn, for sure.
He is young, but for sure he's not happy, we are not happy. It can happen, but I hope that is the last time that we suffer this kind of action. He is going to learn for the next years that the only way to handle and to manage the frustration is by running more and focusing it in the match. There are no other ways. This kind of behaviours only damage yourself and the team too. So it happened, but I am sure that is not going to happen more.
I talked with him. We talked and sometimes you do not have to talk a lot about this kind of situation, as he knows how he made a mistake. That’s why I say that for sure that he's going to learn about this incident and that in the future, for sure that he's going to handle this kind of action better.
The most important focus for me regarding Mohammed Kudus’s absence is the player who is going to play in his place, and to put the focus on sometimes one problem is one opportunity, and we have to try to catch this moment as an opportunity for the team and for other players.
I am sure that the player is going to play in his place is going to be ready to do well and to help us to win the match.
We have a player ready to play for him. I am not going to say today what the lineup will be, but I am sure that the player who is going to play in his place is going to do well. I repeat that sometimes one problem is one opportunity and we have to try to catch this moment and this opportunity.
When you become a coach, you live with the pressure always. This is normal and sometimes it's good to have our kind of life. I think that it’s true that we didn't have the best start, and we haven’t had the start that we would like to have but, in the same way, we are sure that we are doing steps ahead and we are going to be able to arrive at the end of the season in the position that we want.
There are a lot of matches in front of us, I believe a lot in these players, and I am sure that the good results are going to arrive. The only way that we going to do this is in our daily work is to work hard and to try to be self-critics and to be able to improve. We are in this in this way and in this work.
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester United (kick-off 14:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
On Mohamed Kudus's suspension: “His behaviour was not good and he knows that. He knows he has to improve his temperament because this can't happen. I am sure this will be the last time it happens.”
He didn't give any hints as to who may replace the Ghana playmaker in the team: “We have players ready to play for him. I am sure the player who is going to play in his place is going to do well. It's sometimes that one's problem is another's opportunity and I hope that is the case.”
When asked if he's feeling any pressure after a poor start in the Premier League: “When you become a coach, you live with pressure always. It's that kind of life. We didn't have the best start or [the] start we wanted to have, but we are sure we are taking steps to arrive at the end of the season in the position we want to be. The only way is to work hard and try to silence the critics by improving.”
On his opponents: “It is very clear they have one way to play, to attack, to defend and we have to analyse that to beat them.”
On why his team have been inconsistent: “We are playing against different teams and each match has had key moments. We have to try to have more consistency and to play better. I can imagine how this team can develop and what it can do and we are going to work to make this real as soon as possible.”
On the team's defensive troubles: “The defensive work is the work of the whole team. We have talked about this, to be more consistent, and to be more aggressive in our box. I am sure we are going to find this level.”
Julen Lopetegui has praised the club’s wingers ahead of a huge clash with Manchester United at the London Stadium this weekend.
The West Ham head coach will be desperate for a win this weekend and looks set to let wingers Jarrod Bowen and Cryseciao Summerville flourish in order to do so. The Hammers will be without the suspended Mohammed Kudus, so Summerville has a huge opportunity to step up on the left flank.
Lopetegui said: “Cry (Crysencio Summerville) was a good signing, for sure, for the Club, not only for this year, but for a lot of years. And Luis Guilherme too, they are both very young. [Summerville is] a winger, and he wants to drive. He holds the ball, he doesn’t lose the ball easily.
“I think he’s one smart boy, he works hard. I think it’s a good profile to work with him and to develop as a good player, for sure.
“He has played in all the matches, and the player that plays 25 minutes or 20 minutes [is just as important]. Sometimes it’s key. We have to get used to putting importance to the bench player, to the substitutions. Sometimes you have a player that has his quality too.
“He has also played from the start and he played very well. But it is true that for me we have to put the focus in all the players, in all the squad.”
Lopetegui also spoke about Jarrod Boweb’s importance to both the team and the club as a whole. The 27-year-old was named club captain this summer after the departure of Kurt Zouma. He has started the season well, but he is still learning the role of captain.
The 27-year-old already has three goals to his name this season and the boss says his contribution goes far beyond what is seen on the pitch.
“I am sure that he is going to become a legend in the Club I am sure. But now he has to work a lot and he has to do his way because he is [still] young. But he has the profile, perfect profile. He loves the Club. He has quality as a player. He has good behaviour, big commitment. And now he is trying to learn the work of a captain. Because it is a different work.
“A captain has to help the team and his mates to develop his work. And to become a strong team about the character and the personality. And for sure Jarrod is ready to do this.”
Hammers fans will be hoping Bowen can strike up a relationship with Summerville that he has had with Kudus in recent weeks, those two have been the two bright sparks for West Ham in a tough spell. Summerville has looked promising in his limited minutes so far, so he will want to take this opportunity to start with both hands and cause a headache for when Kudus returns from suspension at the end of next month.
The Hammers meet Manchester United on Sunday.
Lopetegui said, “When you become a coach, you live with the pressure always. This is normal and sometimes it’s good to have our kind of life.
“I think that it’s true that we didn't have the best start, and we haven’t had the start that we would like to have but, in the same way, we are sure that we are doing steps ahead and we are going to be able to arrive at the end of the season in the position that we want.
“There are a lot of matches in front of us, I believe a lot in these players, and I am sure that the good results are going to arrive. The only way that we going to do this is in our daily work is to work hard and to try to be self-critics and to be able to improve. We are in this in this way and in this work.
“We have to improve in our consistency because we are playing against different teams, because in each match a lot of things happen and there are key points, that sometimes work in your favour and sometimes against, but for sure we have to try to be more consistent and to play better, too. This is my aim.”
