West Ham take on Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday in a massive game after putting the finishing touches to preparations at Rush Green on Friday.
West Ham may be massive everywhere they go but so is the game against Ipswich.
There are no easy games in the Premier League.
Certainly not for West Ham in 2024 so far anyway.
But when Julen Lopetegui looked at his difficult run of fixtures to start his Hammers tenure, make no mistake Ipswich would have been marked down as a banker.
Lopetegui desperately needs a win to get the media off his back and to have West Ham fans, owners – and perhaps even some players – buying into his ideas.
A negative narrative has surrounded Lopetegui and it actually pre-dates his time at West Ham.
There has been a black mark against the Spaniard’s name ever since he was sacked by Spain on the eve of the 2018 World Cup.
Word had got out that Lopetegui had accepted the Real Madrid job for after the tournament and he was dismissed despite overseeing a 20-game unbeaten run in the build-up.
The Hammers head coach only last 14 games at Real as his reputation suffered further. But he redeemed himself at Sevilla and Wolves.
That was until he walked out on the club out of principal over broken promises on the eve of last season.
The knives are out in the press already. Understandably they jumped all over the fact Lopetegui had a bust-up with Mohammed Kudus as he subbed him off at half-time against Brentford.
Lucas Paqueta was seen shaking his head at the manager when he was taken off too.
West Ham fans are desperate to see something exciting from their collection of talented players.
But it’s been a hard watch so far as the manager and team have struggled.
In mitigation Lopetegui has had to oversee a huge squad turnaround of 21 players in the summer.
That’s just four off being an entirely new Premier League squad.
And West Ham have looked like strangers on the pitch so far this season.
There have been some encouraging glimpses at Liverpool and Brentford.
Now three big things have been spotted in West Ham training for Ipswich as friendships form.
1) West Ham team spirit builds as staff and players all smiles
Given West Ham’s situation, performances and results it’s understandable that players have not looked in the best of spirits in training.
The Hammers post picture galleries and video from training before games.
And it has been noticeable how quiet the sessions have been so far.
Former Hammers skipper Nigel Reo-Coker visited a training session in pre-season and noticed the same thing.
With players and staff still getting to know each other it’s easy to see why.
But watching West Ham’s pre-Ipswich training will fill the heart of any West Ham fan with hope.
There is a marked improvement to the atmosphere, players and staff are in high spirits. There’s lots of laughing, shouting and celebrating goals in small-sided games.
Watching the footage it feels like something has changed in the air. Let’s hope it translates to the pitch.
2) Friendships finally forming among West Ham’s strangers
There are clear friendships forming throughout the West Ham squad.
Now some crucial ones involving new players are too it seems.
Kudus has always come across as a bit of a lone wolf during his time at West Ham so far.
Jean-Clair Todibo is only just starting to settle into the team, likewise with Crysencio Summerville and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
But pictures from training show those four stars enjoying each other’s company as they chat together in a group. They are among West Ham’s most important players. So it’s fantastic to see.
Strong bonds, relationships and understanding off the pitch can only help on it.
Todibo in particular looks to be loving life and a well-liked character in footage. He is also starting to look very sharp indeed ahead of what’s expected to be his third straight start against Ipswich.
3) Wan-Bissaka on the left, a sign of things to come?
Ahead of Saturday’s big game, Hammers News suggested Lopetegui may be about to start Wan-Bissaka at left-back.
The manager has switched the £15m summer signing to that position on several occasions already this season, including against Brentford last weekend.
And Wan-Bissaka has shone there too.
Emerson Palmieri is out of form and was hauled off at half-time last week. Meanwhile Konstantinos Mavropanos came on at right-back as Wan-Bissaka shifted across.
Both played well in those changed roles and it remains to be seen whether Lopetegui sticks with that for Ipswich.
Training may have given a clue on the front. Because Wan-Bissaka is seen playing on the left in small-sided games. And Max Kilman can be seen involved in a passing drill with Mavropanos.
4) Intense rondos to improve West Ham’s pressing
West Ham’s rondos were full of intensity and very lively indeed.
Overseen by Oscar Caro and Lopetegui, there was a big focus on pressing the ball aggressively.
Both Lopetegui and Caro can be heard shouting ‘force the mistake’ and cajoling the players to press quickly.
West Ham fans were excited by the prospect of watching a new-look team pressing from the front after David Moyes’ low-block approach.
But it’s been massively underwhelming so far.
It looks set to improve, though, if the intensity of the rondos are anything to go by. Don’t be surprised to see that in effect against Ipswich.
5) Kudus looks focused after boss row
If anyone thought Kudus might be a problem after the Brentford incident, think again.
The star boy looked determined and focus in training.
He also looked hungry for goals too.
There are clearly no lasting issues from the tete-a-tete with Lopetegui.
The Ghanaian looks laser focused so if anything that may have lit a fire under West Ham’s most dangerous player.
And that could spell bad news for Ipswich.
Notable mentions
Luis Guilherme was spotted again in training after being left out of the Under 21 squad for their game this week.
Andy Irving looked good on the ball and even bagged a couple of goals in training as he continues to impress the manager.
Alphonse Areola’s ridiculous reaction speed was highlighted in the footage by some up close shooting drills. In one he makes three superb reaction saves in the space of a few seconds.
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