Head Coach Julen Lopetegui can’t wait for the return of Premier League football following the September international break, with his West Ham United team set to make the short trip across London to take on Fulham on Saturday.
The Hammers currently sit 13th in the standings, with a victory away at Crystal Palace last month coming in between defeats to Aston Villa and defending champions Manchester City.
There are four top-flight fixtures scheduled before the next break in play in October, and Lopetegui is hopeful his charges can kickstart a strong run of form at Craven Cottage, to fire them up the ranks.
With the transfer window shut, the Spaniard believes his squad are continually adapting to his methods and philosophies, and is buoyant about the side’s prospects going forward.
He recognises that a clash against the Cottagers will present a number of challenges, with Marco Silva’s side having established themselves in the Premier League over the last two seasons, and progressed to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup last term.
They have recorded one win, one draw and one loss from their three outings so far in 2024/25, and with themselves looking to extend their two-match unbeaten run, all signs point to a fascinating encounter this weekend.
Speaking to the media little over 48 hours ahead of kick-off, Lopetegui reflected on the summer transfer window and the recent break in play, while also commenting on the impressive work done by his opposite number Silva on the other side of the capital.
Full group reunited
Unfortunately for us, a lot of the players were away with their countries during the international break, so it’s not easy to work on things, but we’ve tried to take advantage of the time we have had with the players who have been here.
We’ve worked on a lot of different things, and now we’re back as a full group. We’ve been waiting for the last few guys to come back, so we’ll have to evaluate everyone - physically and mentally - and see where we’re at before the game on Saturday.
A busy international break!
It was busy for us here at the training ground, and for the players who were involved in internationals, but also for me and my staff outside of football.
It was Edu’s [Rubio, Technical Coach] wedding in Somerset, so I went there. Congratulations to him!
Assessment of summer business
The market is closed now, and we did the best we could to improve the squad all over the pitch. Some players left us, but we’ve brought in some great talent, and now we’re fully focused on the group we’ve got to help us going forward into the season.
We want one strong team, with a collective feeling on and off the pitch. We’re not worried about one signing, or two signings, we’re concentrating on working together with one philosophy.
Focus on Fulham
It’s going to be a difficult match, for sure. They are a very balanced team, and they have had the same coach [Marco Silva] for a number of years now. They have a clear style, with great players, and of course they did well against West Ham last season.
We are focused on being ready for the game though, and it will be difficult for them too. I’m really looking forward to it.
Lots of games in London!
We are in the middle of a run of playing a lot of games in London, but there are a lot of Premier League teams from London, so that can happen. These sorts of games have lots of history attached to them, and there is bound to be a special atmosphere, but we just have to try and focus on the job.
For me, every game in the Premier League is special. Every game is a challenge, and for sure we will do our best to give our best out there and get the result we’re looking for.
