Jean-Clair Todibo believes West Ham United are making real progress under Graham Potter, but patience is needed while the Head Coach’s methods are transformed into more consistent results.
The Hammers’ recent results may suggest things have not improved and are not improving, but Todibo says the work being done by the coaching staff at Rush Green has made sure the east Londoners are competitive in each and every match they play, when that was not the case prior to his arrival.
While West Ham did score a number of eye-catching victories before Potter’s arrival, they also conceded three or more goals in eight of their opening 20 Premier League matches.
In contrast, since Potter’s appointment in January, his Irons have yet to concede three goals in any of their 13 top-flight games, and preventable late goals have cost the side points in recent draws with Everton, AFC Bournemouth and Southampton and a narrow defeat at runaway leaders Liverpool.
For Todibo, who was part of the stingiest defence in France’s Ligue 1 with Nice last season, the fine margins will be ironed out by Potter and his coaches over the coming month and when the squad return for pre-season in early July, ready for the 2025/26 season to get underway in August.
“Football is a sport of small details and it’s also a sport of mistakes,” said the thoughtful, softly spoken Frenchman, who has started eight of Potter’s 13 Premier League games in charge. “We did a lot of small mistakes and we conceded late goals against Southampton and Liverpool and in some games we have been way better, so there have been a lot of positives in the games that we had since the new manager came.
“The results are not there but, in the games, what we are doing and all this stuff, there’s been a lot of good things. I think if we stay with this manager and the staff with the same goal, there’s for sure a couple of details to modify, we should do a really big season next year.
“We’ve felt a lot of frustration, for sure, and we have to work more, but we are in a good way, I think. The key is to remain together because I think what we were doing at the beginning of the season [compared to] now, it’s way different.
“If you take the game against Liverpool, for example, we lost 5-0 against Liverpool in the first [Premier League] game and also, in the [EFL] Cup, it was 5-1, but the game against Liverpool two weeks ago was 2-1. We also dominated Liverpool in the second half, so there are a lot of good things around this bad result. I understand people are just watching the result, but football is not about only the result. You have to build something and the results will come afterwards.
“In France we say ‘Rome ne s’est pas faite en un jour', which is like the saying ‘Rome wasn’t built in one day’, because it takes time. The manager came and the situation was difficult and we need to build something. We just need more time with this manager because when you have the positives in the game, the result is going to come.
“There is no rush. You don’t have to rush. It’s the end of the season now. We’re not going to reach the European [qualification positions] or something like this, so it’s time for us to prepare for the next season. I think if you want to be smart and productive, you should work for it. It’s more like this, and we prepare for the next season, because next season has to be big.
“We are still West Ham and West Ham are massive.”
