Tomas Soucek has become the latest West Ham United player to talk up the arrival of Paco Jemez.
In January, West Ham confirmed the appointment of Paco Jemez as a first team coach.
Jemez is a very experienced manager in the context of Spanish football, so was bringing with him a wealth of knowledge.
Quite how much of an impact he’s had at West Ham is almost impossible to know. It can be of little coincidence, however, that the team have won three of five Premier League games since his arrival.
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A graphic showing Nuno Espirito Santo's quote after West Ham draw with Manchester United
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Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo also deserves credit, but it’s certainly noteworthy that the rapid-fire improvement has come following his appointment.
West Ham players have praised Jemez and Soucek followed suit on Tuesday night.
Tomas Soucek praises Paco Jemez at West Ham
The midfielder scored what looked to be a winner before the Irons were pegged back by a fine Benjamin Sesko strike as West Ham drew 1-1 with Manchester United on Tuesday night.
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Speaking to The Athletic after the game, Soucek was asked about Jemez.
He revealed that the former Rayo Vallecano manager was “crazy” and highlighted his arrival to explain West Ham’s recent turnaround in form.
Soucek, however, did also stress that Nuno’s role cannot be overlooked.
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“Paco’s a crazy guy,” he said.
“The manager and the staff around him, including Paco, are a big part of this transformation. In training, the sessions have improved massively.
“There is more intensity and we just have to keep building our momentum. Everyone is so honest and that’s changed [recently], we can see it with our results. We have to keep it up.”
West Ham United stats since Paco Jemez appointed
Jemez is a defensive coach at West Ham, but his arrival has also sparked an uplift in the team’s numbers going forward.
The Hammers played 21 games prior to his appointment, scoring 1.05 goals per match. That figure has now gone up to 1.80.
Paco Jemez during Levante UD v Rayo Vallecano de Madrid - La Liga
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Their points per match record has risen significantly to 1.40 from 0.67, too.
In terms of goals conceded, they were letting in an average of 2.05 goals per game. Now, it’s dropped to 1.40.
Nuno does deserve credit of course but Jemez has clearly had a big impact on the way in which this team operate.
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