Trying to decipher a Julen Lopetegui press conference has become one of the high spots of a pre-match ritual for West Ham fans and media alike. His heavy Basque accent makes it a challenge – and I’m sure sometimes the wily head coach uses it to his advantage to smuggle bad news out whilst we are all trying to grapple with his language and work out exactly what was meant.
In the official press conference today, on whufc.com, the Hammers head coach hints, very early on, at players whose fitness is causing ‘one or two doubts’ – as an afterthought when he is addressing a question regarding Niclas Fullkrug’s fitness. Apart from the fact that the German is still weeks and weeks away and is not training with the squad- bad enough news- the extra ‘doubts’ link in with rumours and absences this week from training videos supplied by the media department.
Both Jarrod Bowen and Jean-Clair Todibo have been rumoured through various sources to be ‘doubts’ for the Everton ‘must win’ game: This reference to a ‘couple of players’ can only refer to them. Already without Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez- the idea of West Ham without Jarrod Bowen’s goal threat is very disturbing and would be the worst possible news for a head c coach trying to save his job.
Maybe I am putting two and two together and making ninety nine but when the official club web site puts out a piece on Tomas Soucek becoming a leader for West Ham at the weekend I automatically fear the worst.
West Ham without Kudus, Alvarez, Bowen and Todibo is unthinkable, frankly, if the Hammers are going to extend their home run of two wins (courtesy of a dodgy penalty against Manchester United). Missing both our leading goal scorers – Bowen and Kudus- would be a massive boost to Sean Dyche’s team.
I see other news outlets are carrying the same story. Let us just hope we are all wrong and Bowen takes his place on Saturday.
