Julen Lopetegui has been seen running the rule over his West Ham players ahead of the big game at Nottingham Forest this weekend.
West Ham go to Forest in the Premier League knowing they will be without two and possibly three big players.
The Hammers’ big £23.5m striker signing Niclas Fullkrug remains out with a serious Achilles and calf problem.
Star boy Mohammed Kudus serves the second of a three-game suspension.
Although West Ham are ‘sure’ about the verdict of their Kudus appeal to the FA.
There are also big concerns over another key Hammers star who has been absent from training.
Lopetegui had a strange weekend last time out.
Lopetegui will be distraught at what he witnessed in training
West Ham were dreadful in the first half against Man United and should have been 3-0 down at half-time.
But to the manager’s credit he made three major half-time changes and the Hammers were a different team in the second half.
So much so they deserved the rather fortuitous win by the end.
Now the Spaniard takes him team to Forest looking for West Ham’s first back-to-back wins since February.
That would put the Hammers just two points off seventh-placed Forest.
If West Ham can then follow that up with victory at home against Everton next weekend, they could go into the international break right in the European mix.
It feels like a crucial moment in Lopetegui’s fledgling tenure and something of crossroads for the season.
Ideally West Ham would want all their best players available and in top form.
So Lopetegui will be distraught at what he has witnessed in West Ham training.
Mo show in West Ham training is a painful watch
As if it’s not bad enough that Kudus is already banned until after the November break, the chances are he won’t be available until December 9th.
To rub salt in a gaping wound, Kudus has been head and shoulders West Ham’s best player in training since his suspension.
The Ghanaian has left his teammates in awe with some of his skill and goals.
West Ham released footage from training at Rush Green 48 hours out from the Forest clash.
Kudus steals the show and it’s a bitter pill to swallow for the manager, fans and his teammates.
The 24-year-old is absolutely smashing it in training.
It’s actually hard to watch knowing that he will not be seen in the claret and blue for at least another month.
The little break already seems to have re-energised the talented attacker.
So imagine what he’d be like during matches in that kind of form.
Kudus hits top form just when he can’t play
Losing him is devastating.
West Ham fans want Crysencio Summerville to take his place in the starting XI.
But when Kudus does return, this footage shows Lopetegui simply must find a place for Kudus in a more central role so he can play with Summerville and Bowen.
A penny for Lopetegui’s thoughts watching Kudus strutting his stuff.
The boss can be seen in the background watching on as West Ham’s £85m-rated star scores goal after goal in small-sided games.
Kudus was like a tightly wound spring as his frustrations grew with every passing game this season.
That spring sprung against Spurs.
Now he’s released that frustration Kudus appears to be playing with more clarity if training footage is anything to go by.
It’s just a crying shame he can’t show it in the actual team for some time yet.
Lopetegui must be feeling pig sick at the situation.
Related Posts
