Graham Potter is hopeful of a positive response to last weekend’s disappointing 1-1 home draw with Southampton when West Ham United return to Premier League action away at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
The Hammers are winless in six ahead of their trip down to the south coast, and 17th in the table with five games remaining, yet they know victory against the Seagulls could lift them as many as four places if results go their way, above Everton in 13th, who are currently two points ahead.
While Head Coach Potter acknowledged the need for improvement after his team’s most recent display at London Stadium, he also pointed to some of the positives from the last few weeks, such as during the away draw at Everton in March and the narrow defeat at title favourites Liverpool earlier this month.
Forward Niclas Füllkrug delivered an honest assessment of the clash against the Saints following last Saturday’s full-time whistle, and, speaking ahead of the Brighton game on Thursday afternoon, boss Potter explained how the whole squad is working together as they look to finish the season strongly.
Though Brighton themselves are going through a difficult spell, without a win in five, the Hammers will be aware of the threats they pose, with Fabian Hürzeler’s side sat in tenth having beaten the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United this term.
The fixture at American Express Stadium will hold special significance for Potter, who was in charge of Brighton between 2019 and 2022, leading them to a then record-high top-flight finish of ninth in 2021/22 before leaving for Chelsea.
As well as recounting some of his memories from East Sussex, and reacting to Füllkrug’s interview, Potter spoke to members of the press about a range of topics ahead of kick-off, including defensive work, Jean-Clair Todibo’s impact, and early thoughts on potential summer business…
Frustrating form
I think you have to, in my position, look at things on two levels.
The first level is, of course, that last week was a home game, and a game that we wanted to win. We didn't do that, the performance wasn't great, and we are where we are in the table.
So, when you look at it like that, there's no argument [with the fans’ frustration]. You have to accept it. That's the job you have to do in the Premier League.
And then, you've got to almost look at the bigger picture and what's been happening at the Club for a longer period. It's also a result of that, and we’re having to deal with that.
As I've said many times before, in the 40 or so games before I arrived, the Club had conceded 80-something goals in the Premier League, and scored about 50, so there was a minus 30 goal difference. So, if you're a West Ham fan, and that's what you've seen for a period of time, then of course you're going to be upset. You're going to be frustrated.
I'm the same. But at the same time, you have to acknowledge that a week before the Southampton game, against Liverpool, we played probably as well as any West Ham team has played for a long time. The performance was really strong.
We've been competitive in all the games. We're not playing how we want to play, but when you take into account those 40 games before, it isn’t so straightforward to change things significantly so quickly.
You have to understand the situation, you have to accept the situation, and then you have to throw yourself into the challenge. The players that I see have given everything. The players in training are fantastic, and I want to support them. We’re going to keep taking on the challenge together.
Füllkrug’s emotional interview
Sometimes you have to understand that after a game, everyone's emotional. It should be that way, because football is about emotion. But when you're a leader, I think you have to accept the emotion.
You also have to look at it and think about it from a logical perspective. When you don't perform well, there are lots of things that aren't right. It can be that tactically we had some challenges, or it could be that there’s baggage we’re carrying from our previous 50 matches, with the high expectation there is at West Ham. Different things can play on players’ minds.
The players are only human, so together we have to find a solution. Together we have to improve. Together we have to give our supporters something that is better than what it is now. As I said, I think there have been improvements, but we know there hasn't been in terms of points and the table, and we’ll keep working.
I understand we need to be self-critical, and we need to demand more. I have to demand more of myself and the players, too. But, fundamentally I want to help the players, I want to support them, and I want us all to take on the challenge together.
Stopping the late goals
I think it’s down to a number of factors.
We were in the lead against Everton at Goodison Park, and when you're 1-0 up there, you probably need a second because of how the atmosphere is there. Unless you get that second goal in the Premier League, you're always vulnerable.
Against Liverpool, I think we played a really good second half. We scored a deserved equaliser and then just probably switched off a little bit, against a top team.
Southampton was slightly different. We were still close to winning there but probably our performance over the 90 minutes didn't deserve anything more.
But the other two, I think, suggested something a little bit different. It's so complicated is the reality. There's no easy answer, but it's something that we have to keep working on.
When we came, the team had been conceding early goals. We fixed that and now it’s late goals. So, welcome to the world of Premier League football!
Going back to Brighton
I have nothing but respect, love and gratitude for my time there. I was there for three-and-a-half years, I worked with some fantastic people and I have really fond memories of working for Brighton.
Their form hasn’t been perhaps so great of late, but that’s the nature of the Premier League, and a variety of factors can affect htat. Overall, they’ve had some really positive results.
The reason why they’ve historically been so successful is that they're able to look past the binary factors of ‘you're good if you win and you're bad if you lose’. They’ll be able to analyse their performances, and there’ll be metrics behind what they’re doing, that will help them get back on track.
They’ll be fine, although hopefully not this weekend!
Todibo making his mark
I think it was a bit tough for him at the start, because he arrived late to pre-season and then had injury problems. There was quite a lot of change last summer, but overall it’s not been that easy for those players who have come in.
But, I've really enjoyed working with JC. He'll get better as he gets fitter and fitter, because he's got some really high-level quality.
Potential summer business
I think you always have to think about where you are and where you want to be. You've got to be responsible in every window, and try to improve the team.
We have to make some decisions to be able to improve things, because no-one wants to be where we are now. In my job at Brighton we took a team from fourth from bottom up the table, so we know it can be done.
It isn't a click of the fingers and everything's OK, but that's the challenge, and that’s what we’re here to do.
