Head Coach Julen Lopetegui insists he cannot wait to walk out of the London Stadium tunnel on Saturday afternoon, ready for his first competitive clash in charge of West Ham United.
Following his May appointment and taking up the role officially on 1 July, the Spaniard has long been anticipating this weekend’s mouth-watering encounter at home to Aston Villa, when the Hammers return to Premier League action nearly three months since their last such outing at Manchester City.
Alongside the managerial switch, there has been plenty of activity at the Club over the course of the summer, with Lopetegui having overseen pre-season trips to Austria and the USA, welcomed eight new signings into his squad, and named Jarrod Bowen as the new captain for 2024/25.
Last weekend’s Betway Cup victory over RC Celta de Vigo gave the new boss a flavour of what life in the home hot seat will be like during the course of the campaign, while the likes of Niclas Füllkrug and Guido Rodríguez earned their first minutes in Claret and Blue.
Now, everyone behind the scenes is fully focused on getting off to a flying start against Unai Emery’s Villa, who are sure to pose a tough test after finishing fourth in the table and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League last term.
Despite acknowledging the undoubted quality among the Villans’ ranks, Lopetegui is concentrating on the strengths possessed by his own team, and is confident that together they can deliver a result and a day to remember.
Speaking to the media little over 48 hours ahead of kick-off, he reflected on the build-up to opening day, while also commenting on the impressive job done by his Basque counterpart Emery and his decision to give Bowen the skipper's armband.
Itching to get going
I’m very excited for this first match. We know it’s not going to be easy, but all of our work since the very start of the summer has been leading up to this moment, and it’s going to be great to finally get out on the pitch.
We’ve had two main parts to the pre-season - in Austria, and then in the USA - as well as the work we’ve done here in England. We’ve tried to translate our ideas, and we’ve worked hard to understand each other as players and as coaches.
I’m confident we’re in a really good place, and the players’ commitment has been huge, which is what we’ve needed. We’ve tried to get into the best place we can for the first game, and now it’s time to put it into action.
Villa quality
Aston Villa were one of the best teams in the Premier League last season, and they’re a UEFA Champions League team now. I think they have improved even more over the summer, so we have to be ready for a big challenge.
Unai Emery has done a brilliant job there over the last couple of seasons, but it in the end it will be about what happens on the pitch on the day.
It’s going to be hard, but at the same time we have to have belief in ourselves, and develop our work in the best way we can. We’re all looking forward to getting going.
New faces
We have brought in some new players, and some of them are more ready to play than others, as are some of the players who were away on international duty over the summer.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is our most recent signing, and we’re really happy to have him here. Like all of the other signings, he’s going to try to improve our level, because having good competition is important for us. He is going to add a lot of things to our team.
I don’t want to talk about players who aren’t at the Club, [or potential further signings]. For now, our focus is on the players who are here, and preparing in the best way we can for the Aston Villa game.
Hopes and expectations
Our main aim each week is going to be to win football matches, and the fans are going to be very important to us in achieving that. The environment they create is so important for the team.
I don’t want to put limits on our dreams. We have to dream, but we know that the only way you can achieve your dreams is by working hard for them. The most important thing is for the players to train hard every day, especially when things aren’t going so well.
The fans will be important in those bad moments, during each game. The energy the supporters are able to provide, and the lift they’re able to give us, will be crucial.
A new leader
We were very clear that Jarrod is a good choice to be the new captain. Despite being a young player, he is very experienced, and he is a national team player. He has the sort of commitment to the Club that you want from a captain.
Other players will contribute as leaders, and we are going to help Jarrod along on his journey, but I am really happy he has taken on this new responsibility.
