Graham Potter has been named as the new West Ham United manager after the sacking of Julen Lopetegui.
Julen Lopetegui was unable to live up to the big promises he made when he took over at West Ham in the summer, and now Graham Potter has been tasked with cleaning up the Spaniard’s mess.
Potter has already made an effort to form a connection with the Hammers fans – something that Lopetegui never attempted to do.
In fact, the 58-year-old failed in pretty much every single department during his Hammers tenure.
Lopetegui was given the remits of improving the standard of football, providing the talented youngsters with a platform to shine and to challenge for the European places.
It’s now clear to see that he failed to meet any of those demands.
It’s so frustrating that the Hammers thought appointing him in the first place was a good idea.
There were so many better candidates out there – Potter included.
At least the board have atoned for that error now. However, the problems caused by Lopetegui may take some time to put right.
Graham Potter on what he must address after Julen Lopetegui sacking
Potter faces a big challenge ahead, if he is to restore the Hammers to perennial European contenders.
Lopetegui’s summer recruitment now looks like it missed the mark.
The squad he assembled is really unbalanced, and there are huge question marks regarding the attitudes of certain players.
However, the biggest problem West Ham have right now is our defence. We conceded more goals in the 2024 calendar year than any other club.
Potter addressed the media this morning during his first press conference as West Ham manager.
And the 49-year-old responded when asked about the Hammers’ horrendous defensive record, as quoted via WHUFC.com:
“You can talk about attacking football and style of play, but if you’re not balanced and conceding goals, it becomes very difficult. Balance is the key, that’s how I’ve always thought about football, and I think of course you want to attack and play good football but I think like life, there needs to be balance. That’s something I need to address.“
That is absolutely spot on from Potter.
The 49-year-old will undoubtedly implement an attractive playing style at the London Stadium, but if he can’t get his team to defend resolutely, he will have no chance of succeeding.
The challenge awaiting Graham Potter at West Ham is a sizeable one, after Julen Lopetegui’s horror six-month reign.
The fact that Lopetegui left us so wide open at the back, with zero protection for our back four from midfield was nothing less than gross negligence if you ask me.
I have full faith in the former Chelsea boss though. The future is very bright for the Hammers with Potter at the helm.
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