by Staff Writer
Friday, 13th December 2024
Julen Lopetegui has challenged his team to push on from Monday's victory against Wolves by securing back-to-back wins for the first time since August.
You have to go right back to the second week of the season to find successive wins for Lopetegui's unpredictable side, against relegation candidates Crystal Palace and Monday night's opponents Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup.
Since then his team have struggled to find any kind of consistency - and on every occasion since that narrow League Cup win have been defeated following victory.
And as a result Lopetegui has challenged his team to buck that trend when they visit the Vitality Stadium on Monday night.
"I think consistency is always important, but the score of the last match isn’t important for what happens next," he said when asked to explain his team's erratic form.
"Wolves and the other games have happened, and now we are looking at the next challenge. We are making sure that we will have a strong team there, ready to compete.
"Keeping clean sheets is always the best thing for the team. For sure you are more likely to win matches if you do this, but it’s not easy in the Premier League.
"We are trying to be more consistent. In the last match, I think we did good things, but as ever there are things we need to improve and that’s the case defensively going into the Bournemouth fixture."
However Lopetegui believes he has his work cut out coming up against one of the League's most highly-rated managers in fellow Spaniard Andoni Iraola.
"I think Bournemouth is one of the more difficult stadiums you can go to, because of the kind of team they are," he warned.
"In my opinion they are one of the best teams in the league at home, and they have already beaten Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham there this season. We have to be ready to face them, to show our strengths and to compete, because we know they are going to demand a lot.
"I think the head coach is doing very, very well there. At the start they had some problems, but they allowed him to show his qualities as a coach which is what he’s doing now for sure.
"He has a good team, with good players, too. That’s why it’s a tough challenge for us, because the demands we’re going to have to face up to in the match are going to be high. But as always we have to focus on the things we can control, and be ready to answer the challenges we come up against."
Having beaten Wolves, albeit narrowly, Lopetegui eased the pressure on his own position somewhat. However he knows very well that defeat on Monday will result in the pressure ramping up once more.
"Pressure is always there, because this is the Premier League and every match is difficult," he admitted. "In the same way, though, each match is a good opportunity, and a good challenge.
"We talk about the difficulty of facing Bournemouth, but we’re also working to show our best in the game. I’m enjoying my work, and I love managing West Ham. We didn’t have the start we wanted, but I’m happy with the commitment of the players and I think we’re improving things step-by-step."
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