Graham Potter insists he has enjoyed every second of his first week as West Ham United’s Head Coach, as he finalises preparations for the third game of his tenure at home to London rivals Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Tuesday night’s thrilling 3-2 win over Fulham ensured his first outing in the London Stadium dugout was a positive one, and with his side having bounced back from last Friday’s narrow Emirates FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa, they are now looking to register back-to-back wins in the Premier League.
With every passing training session, Potter believes he is learning more and more about his players, and is confident of conjuring up a strong run to continually improve their current 12th-place standing in the table.
A clash against the Eagles promises a tough test, however, with Oliver Glasner’s troops having recovered from a disappointing start to 2024/25 to record a run of just one defeat in their last ten top-flight fixtures.
Indeed, they have won two out of their last three matches, drawing with Chelsea at Selhurst Park in between home and away triumphs against Southampton and Leicester City respectively.
An enticing match-up awaits, then, and as the countdown to kick-off continues, Potter sat down with the gathered press on Thursday afternoon to discuss what his spell in charge has taught him so far, what’s impressed him about his players, and his thoughts on Palace.
Fulham reflections
It was nice to be out there, and to play the game. I understand the league, and I understand how hard it is to get three points in the Premier League, so it’s never something I take for granted.
With the way the game went, in terms of us having to defend our lead towards the end, there’s always going to be pressure and then relief when the final whistle goes. But overall we were focused on the good things, because we’re still early on in the process and there is lots to be happy about.
Pressing quality
There are rarely any gifts in the Premier League, and with what happened with two of the goals on Tuesday, I think they were a result of our pressure, and forcing mistakes.
When you look at how our supporters reacted to that, I think that’s really important. We need to engage our fans, and part of that is pressing high when possible. You can’t do it all the time in the Premier League, but we will try to when we can.
First week in the role
It’s been a week, but it feels like it’s been longer than that because so much has happened with the games and all the preparation.
I’m really happy with the squad, and with the approach and attitude of the players since I’ve been here. For me, it’s about getting to know them better, and the more information the better.
I know a lot more about the players than I did this time last week, but that process is ongoing. That’s just the job, and so far I’ve been really happy with the response to everything I’ve asked for.
Souček stepping up
Regardless of who’s wearing the armband, it’s nice to have people who can step up and take responsibility. You want people who can lead, and I think Tomáš [Souček] - as well as Jarrod [Bowen] - has shown great qualities.
I’m delighted for Tomáš. He played a captain’s role [on Tuesday] - he gave everything, he understood his role, he played in a slightly higher position than usual, and he got his goal.
Paquetá firing
I think he’s [Lucas Paquetá] the type of player who needs to feel how important he is to the team. He has to have that responsibility himself because he’s very important for us, and how he acts and conducts himself is really important for the team.
I can only comment on what I’ve seen, and I think he’s been fantastic in his last two games. His work rate, and what he does for the team, has been of a really high level. As a result of that he’s got his reward, with goals in both games.
I think he’s the kind of player who you don’t have to pin down to one specific role. He can do lots of different things, because he’s that talented and has real quality.
Injury issues
Injuries can happen for a whole variety of issues. Sometimes it’s luck, and sometimes it can be because of an overload or an underload.
For us, we have to focus on how we’re training and preparing, and ensure our players are recovering enough to play in the Premier League.
Transfer talk
If we’ve got something to report, we’ll of course tell our supporters. But my main focus is on the players we’ve got who are here.
You can’t worry too much about speculation and what newspapers or whatever are saying. Our focus is on the players we have, and we don’t want to comment on players who aren’t with us here at West Ham.
Of course you’re always trying to improve - whether that’s internally or externally - but it’s a complicated window, and there are a number of checklists you have to go through when you’re looking at a player.
You can imagine that in a week where we’ve had three games, we’ve been concentrating on that.
Eye on the Academy
As I said when I was first appointed, the Academy has be central to what we’re doing here in terms of it being a source of players. It should be really respected because of how well the Academy has done, and how good the people are there.
Whenever you’re looking externally, you have to consider what you’ve got internally, and the Academy is part of that.
Ollie [Scarles] was brilliant against Aston Villa last week, and he came on against Fulham and again affected the game. We’re really happy for him, and now the challenge - and exciting bit of work - for him is to try and work towards becoming a regular Premier League player.
Crystal Palace quality
They’re a very good side, certainly away from home. I watched their game last night, and it was a good, deserved win.
They probably started the season slowly in terms of points, but you can see the quality they have. The coach has done a brilliant job as well in terms of his ideas and what they’re trying to do.
They’ve also adapted to losing top players, like Michael Olise, so we’re aware of their quality and we know it’s going to be a tough game.
Catching up with Antonio
The plan was to see him [Michail Antonio] today, but I’ve spoken to him on the phone and had a really good chat with him.
He’s doing well, but it will be nice to see him and chat in person.
