Maximilian Kilman feels West Ham United can take ‘lots of positives’ from their 2-1 opening-day Premier League defeat by Aston Villa.
The Hammers gave the UEFA Champions League qualifiers a strong run for their money at London Stadium, recovering from conceding inside four minutes to equalise before half-time in Julen Lopetegui’s first game as Head Coach.
Unai Emery’s slick side created chances of their own, most notably when Leon Bailey thumped against the post with Villa already leading through Amadou Onana’s fourth-minute header.
But after Lucas Paquetá levelled from the spot on 34 minutes, Lopetegui’s men looked the more likely scorers for a period either side of half-time, with Tomáš Souček seeing his goalbound shot blocked by Lucas Digne.
However, despite the impressive Kilman being joined on the pitch by fellow debutants Niclas Füllkrug and Crysencio Summerville, Villa substitute Jhon Durán denied the hosts any reward for their efforts with a powerful low strike past Alphonse Areola eleven minutes from full-time.
Despite the result, the No26 knows the Irons are still early work in progress under their hew Head Coach.
“There were some really good parts and obviously it was our first game under the new manager so there were lots of positives to take,” he observed. “We’ve got to just build from it and take the positives into the next game.
“[Lopetegui] wanted us to be more aggressive coming into the second half and to control the game a bit more. We did control the game for large parts of the game and we had better chances in the second half, but unfortunately we didn’t get anything from the game and that’s something we need to build on and make sure we’re ready for next week.”
Kilman was disappointed by the nature of Villa’s goals, with Onana heading in from a corner and Durán completing a one-touch move that cut open the West Ham back line.
“That’s something we definitely need to improve on, but we grew into the game and we came into the half-time in a good position,” the centre-back continued. “We needed to fight in the second half, but unfortunately things didn’t go our way today.
“The winner was a tough one to take, but we worked really hard and I’m sure our luck will turn.”
For Kilman himself, making his debut in Claret and Blue was a moment to savour, and he produced a personal performance that certainly bodes well for the future, with defensive solidity combined with a willingness to play the ball forward positively through the lines.
“It was a proud moment for me personally, coming to this big Club, and I just want to do my best,” he said. “It was a good first start, but obviously we as a team we didn’t get a good result, but it’s something to build on and hopefully there will be many more good games.
“We’ve got a lot of new signings and a new manager so obviously we’re going through a big transitional phase. This takes time and we’ve only had a few weeks in pre-season, but as the weeks go on I’m sure we’ll build into a stronger and stronger team.”
