West Ham United Head Coach Julen Lopetegui has managed some of the highest profile clubs in world football and is well-versed when it comes to overseeing important matches between near-neighbours.
Lopetegui has managed over two decade’s worth of derbies, from the Derbi Sevillano to El Clásico, but has not muted Lopetegui’s delight about winning them in the slightest.
Saturday is another milestone moment in the Lopetegui’s derby career as West Ham and Spurs clash for the 57th time in the Premier League.
The Hammers are looking to make it two wins in a row in the showpiece in north London. There, the Spaniard will take charge of his fifth London derby in just nine Premier League matches on Saturday lunchtime and insists the entire West Ham squad and his staff are fully aware of what the fixture means to supporters.
“I know this is a big derby in London and means a lot to our fans,” Lopetegui confirmed. “We don’t need any other reason to be ready. We’re going to have over 3,000 fans at the stadium, and we will be ready to work hard and get a good result for them. Our fans are always the best for us, and this is a good thing for us.
“The extra passion in these games is always good for the environment, the fans, the players, and also us. We will try to enjoy all of this, but in the end, you have to put the focus on football, and our aim is to beat a very good team. The most important thing is to play well, defend well, and be able to be very competitive.
“It is about knowing when you have to go and tackle or not. Passion is very important in football and life for sure, but you have to balance this aggressiveness because you have to play football too and make good decisions.
“I’ve managed Sevilla versus Real Betis, who have very passionate fans, but all of these derbies have passion, and our fans are not any different. We are aware of the repercussions of these kinds of matches. The motivation in the players is always inside.”
West Ham claimed their first win of the Premier League season after thrashing newcomers Ipswich Town 4-1, and after facing another two-week hiatus from action due to the international break, focus swiftly shifted to extending our unbeaten away run.
“It was an important victory for us and all of the team,” said Lopetegui. “I think it was a very good victory for us, but it is in the past now, and the next challenge in the present is the more important thing for us, which is Tottenham. Of course we would have liked to have all the team working with us this week, but you can’t choose when the international break comes, so we have to adapt because it is the reality. This is the most important thing for us right now.
“We are in the process where we have to improve a lot of things to win more points and consolidate different things. In the same way, we are working to be more competitive and to be able to win more matches.
“We don’t make a difference between [home and away fixtures]. Saturday’s match will be different from those we have played away so far, in the same way that Ipswich was different to those at home. We put the same importance on all the matches, home or away.”
With Lopetegui’s feet firmly under the table at the Club, he shared his plans about being adaptable to the players at his disposal and finding a style that better suits their qualities.
He said: “You have your way of understanding football, and you have to adapt too. Adapt ideas to the real situation of the players, so it's to balance all of these things and to be competitive - this is the main aim that we have, the main demand we have as a coaching team.
"I always try to do this. Each one of us has our own ideas, our own way to play, and we understand the way we want to attack and defend, but in the same way we have to understand the kind of player we have to be able to balance all these things.
“I think the best thing until now has been the commitment of the players. They want to succeed, work hard, and know that if we want to achieve good things, then we have got to work hard every day.
“We always have to work as a team despite having different kinds of players. I am very happy with this commitment, and we are continuing to try and improve with and without the ball.”
