Julen Lopetegui is determined to help deliver a belated Christmas treat to the West Ham United supporters when he and his players travel to Southampton in the Premier League on Boxing Day.
The Hammers are set to take on the division’s bottom side on the back of a three-game unbeaten run, that started with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the beginning of December, and has since yielded 1-1 draws away at AFC Bournemouth and at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Two games shy of the 2024/25 halfway stage, Lopetegui’s charges sit 14th in the standings, with five wins to their name, but the Spaniard is buoyed by the progress they have made over the last few weeks, particularly with the top six just eight points away.
In search of a route up the table, the Head Coach has urged his troops to harness all of the many positives they have exhibited in the first half of the campaign and finish 2024 off with a bang, starting with the full share of the spoils on the Hampshire south coast.
The Saints - who were promoted from the EFL Championship via the Play-Offs last term - have claimed victory in just one of their 17 games so far, at home to Everton close to two months ago.
The recent appointment of new manager Ivan Jurić is sure to give Thursday’s hosts a wave of optimism however, with the former Roma boss having replaced Russell Martin over recent days and set to take his place in the dugout for the first time against the Irons.
A commendable 0-0 draw away at Fulham in their last clash before Christmas will have given the Croat plenty of food for thought ahead of West Ham’s visit, and Lopetegui acknowledged the challenge of taking on a team with a renewed sense of energy.
A mouth-watering match-up awaits then, and as the countdown to kick-off continues Lopetegui sat down with the gathered press to discuss building on recent encouragement, staying in the moment, and his side’s upcoming opponents.
Looking to turn draws into wins
It’s true we are undefeated in three, but we would like more points. We were very close to achieving more points in our last three matches, but we just have to keep being positive and try to improve the other things that we need to do.
The players are improving in a lot of areas, but we know we’re going to face big challenges in each match we’ve got coming up, so we have to be ready and have the right mentality.
Taking each match as it comes
There is no match in our mind other than Southampton. Despite being at the bottom of the table, I think they’ve shown lots of good things this season and we know it’s going to be another big challenge.
It’s the same with every game in the Premier League - you have to be ready to face tough demands and situations, and you cannot start thinking about any of the games that come after this one.
Facing a good team with a good new coach
They’ve shown in lots of moments that they have quality, and I watched their game against Fulham when they did lots of good things. I think they are better than their points-total suggests, and they have lots of very good players.
Always with a new coach, there is a new and extra energy around the players and the whole environment. We had the same thing against Leicester, so I know this is going to be a very difficult match for us.
I know him [Ivan Jurić] because he has worked for a long time in Italy, with a lot of success. He is an experimental coach and he is going to do his best, but he has good players around him, too.
The most important thing in my mind though is on what we do, and making sure we are ready to face this game with all our energy.
Utilising the squad in a busy period
We have different options all over the pitch, and we have to try to take advantage of the best solutions for each match, and each moment.
We have to take advantage of all our players. Everyone is important - whether they’re in the line-up or on the bench - and always we have to be ready to compete at all times.
