West Ham fans will not believe where Julen Lopetegui conducted his half-time team-talk – photo

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Many West Ham United fans questioned Julen Lopetegui before the win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Julen Lopetegui named an unchanged West Ham team from the one that lost to Aston Villa last weekend.

It was no surprise when the likes of Vladimir Coufal and Michail Antonio let us down, just like they’ve done on numerous occasions over the past year.

The Hammers fans knew it was coming, so it was frustrating that the West Ham manager didn’t anticipate that the usual suspects would be the weak-links.

Big changes were needed after half-time, and we saw a lot more positive signs during the second-half performance from the boys.

Maybe, just maybe, they got their inspiration from an unusual place…

West Ham fans won’t believe where Julen Lopetegui held team-talk

After the shambolic showing during the first 45 minutes, the Hammers improved greatly in the second-half.

Sure, the substitutions helped, but many players who looked off the pace inside the first-half raised their levels massively.

Perhaps words from Lopetegui during the half-time interval helped swing the scales back in the Hammers’ favour as well.

There was certainly more energy, dynamism and aggression on display from the West Ham players after they came out for the second-half.

I must admit, I’m really keen on Lopetegui’s approach to games as far as passion on the touchline is concerned.

David Moyes was far too subdued for me at times, especially during away games. I can imagine that the Spaniard is a lot more animated in the dressing room as well.

And it appears as though Lopetegui likes to conducts his team-talks in different places! There were some prying eyes that captured him in the moment though!

Football journalist Ed Aarons posted the below photo onto his official X account:

Now, I for one absolutely love to see that from the gaffer.

Lopetegui obviously wants to get his message across to his players right up until the last second before kick-off.

The Spaniard may well have held his main team-talk inside the dressing room, but he’s clearly a perfectionist, and wanted further words with his players outside.

The result today was a big one for Lopetegui, and it ensured that we won’t head into the international break on zero points.

West Ham beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in the end, in spite of struggling badly inside the first-half. Perhaps Lopetegui’s last minute pep-talk in the rain spurred on his team to victory.