West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse has stated that there is a real excitement over the new playing style under Julen Lopetegui.
There is no denying that David Moyes was a successful manager for West Ham, but there is also no getting around the frustration at times that the style the team adopted was something that shadowed the Scots reign.
The appointment of Lopetegui this summer to work as a Head Coach alongside Technical Director Tim Steidten has breathed an air of excitement amongst all connected with the club, and that is shared by James Ward-Prowse, so admits he is very much enjoying the new regime that is in place in east London.
Our Hammers take on Ferencváros in our first pre-season of the summer later today, and the Irons midfielder has stated that the players have been working hard on the new style under Lopetegui.
“We don’t know a lot about them, but we are looking forward to it, as it’s the first bit of game time to try and implement the manager’s style, put what we have been working on over the past two weeks into practice and get some minutes under our belts,” the former Southampton captain told the clubs Official Website.
“I think you can get all sorts of different tests throughout pre-season. We aren’t going to be the finished article on Monday, but it’s about getting the manager’s message across and getting that fitness hit, which is important. It’s not about the result. It’s more so about doing the stuff we have been working on.
“You can tell from the manager that he has got a winning mentality, so I’m sure he will want to win the game. We’ve also got a lot of young players with us, and it will be a good experience for them to get some game time and try impress the manager. As long as we do the things we’ve been working on, we can come away with a positive end to the trip.”
Ward-Prowse also shared his thoughts on the new arrivals so far this summer, saying that are settling in well as we get set to kick off our Premier League campaign next month.
“They have settled in well and are really good lads,” added the set-piece specialist. “That’s one thing I liked when I joined the Club, that everybody is really kind and engaging, and it’s been good to spend the week with them, help integrate them into the squad and make them feel as comfortable as possible.
“It’s really enjoyable, It’s an exciting style to play and is a very modern way of playing, and you can sense from the players that they are all enjoying the work. It’s aggressive, full of energy and some hopefully good stuff in possession too. There’s lots to build on.”