West Ham have been going through final preparations for the game against Southampton and a number of interesting things have been spotted.
West Ham face the club fighting to avoid being the worst team in Premier League history when the Saints come to the London Stadium.
On paper this should be a comfortable, landslide victory for Graham Potter’s Hammers.
But this is West Ham, who are enduring their own dismal season where they’re on course to finish 17th after just nine wins so far.
Potter’s inauspicious start to life at West Ham is piling the pressure on him to hit the ground running next season.
The manager has been talking up an improved second half performance at Liverpool.
However, many Hammers fans have been far from convinced with what they’ve witnessed under Potter so far in terms of tactics, style, approach and results – with just three wins and seven defeats from 13 games under the Englishman.
There will be no excuses for anything other than a comfortable win over Southampton.
But how is the team looking ahead of the game?
Five things have been spotted in West Ham training for Saints including Niclas Fullkrug’s big hamstring test.
Clear focus on speeding up how West Ham tempo
In footage of the Hammers training at Rush Green ahead of the Southampton clash, the main tactical work was abundantly clear.
The second half against Liverpool besides, West Ham fans have bemoaned feeling bored watching Potter’s side play.
That’s been reflected by a distinct lack of goals – something Potter struggled with at Chelsea and Brighton too.
Some West Ham fans have even nicknamed their new boss ‘Graham Lopetegui’ because they feel there has not been a great deal of change since Potter came in.
There has been a lot of sideways and backwards passing under the 49-year-old. Many supporters have labelled it ‘possession for the sake of it’.
Well Potter and his staff are clearly trying to do something to change the way West Ham play.
They can be seen drilling players hard to get them to produce rapid one and two-touch forward passing triangles. The coaching staff can be heard demanding the players do the drill at high tempo with high quality and the patterns were repeated for some time.
Hammers stars struggling to implement basic Potter principles
While working on the above drill, it is all too clear that many of the players simply can’t or won’t get that intensity into their play.
The players were constantly being reminded to make their passing quicker and sharper.
But too many were slow, hitting soft passes and often taking two or even three touches when one or two at the most should suffice at this level.
If West Ham’s current squad are struggling to implement the basic Potter principles then it explains why results have been so bad.
It also suggests the only way the manager is going to get West Ham upwardly mobile is when he has his own players in the door this summer.
Jean-Clair Tobido’s lackadaisical attitude
Jean-Clair Todibo has been a complete enigma since becoming the jewel in the crown of West Ham’s window last summer.
After spells on the sidelines with a lack of fitness, injury and ill-discipline following a major bust-up with Lopetegui, Todibo was injured again when Potter arrived.
Some games the French centre-back has looked capable of being an elite level player. Others it has been perfectly clear to see why he flopped so badly after a £20m move to Barcelona aged 19.
Rumours have abound all season about Todibo and whether he wants to even be at West Ham or stay beyond this season.
It was only a brief clip but West Ham’s coaches were encouraging the players to really lock in for a high-intensity drill of fast one-touch passing with two touches at the most if required.
The staff are demanding quality, focus and speed from the Hammers stars involved.
Yet one part of the footage captures Todibo lackadaisically failing to get the ball under control while ambling along with his hands in his sleeves. He takes several touches, leaves the ball behind him and then starts trying – and failing – to roll the ball with his studs, holding up the drill.
He can be seen smirking as he finally gets hold of the ball and passes it off. But it really was the antithesis of what West Ham’s coaches were trying to achieve in the drill and indicative of his performances for the club so far.
This is not the first time Todibo has been slack in training either. Videos under Lopetegui showed him doing things half-baked and being bellowed at by the Spaniard to improve.
West Ham have committed serious money to signing Todibo, who struggles to complete 90 minutes.
Now they need to start seeing him taking this move seriously. He needs to sharpen up and lead by example at West Ham on and off the pitch. He certainly has all the attributes to be a top class defender.
Luis Guilherme seen as forward by Potter
Luis Guilherme has barely featured for West Ham since signing from Palmeiras for £20m last summer.
The Brazilian teen is clearly very raw and the Hammers were reportedly looking to ship him out in January.
Guilherme is only 19, though, and has had more opportunities under Potter so far. And he has impressed in some of his cameos.
The Brazil Under 20 international arrived as a traditional winger but had also been known to operate as a wingback in Palmeiras’ system.
But what’s clear from the West Ham training footage is that Potter very much considers him part of his group of forwards.
Guilherme can be seen taking part in a high intensity forward drill alongside Jarrod Bowen, Evan Ferguson, Mohammed Kudus, Danny Ings and Fullkrug.
The strikers were lined up on the edge of the box with coaches shouting one of their names, dictating they must then shoot and try to score – first outside the box then inside.
Bowen – rather unsurprisingly – won with 17 goals. But Guilherme did pretty well too and showed his is seen as a forward rather than a traditional winger.
Bowen shows he should be on free-kicks not Ward-Prowse
It sums West Ham up that James Ward-Prowse is yet to score a direct free-kick for them since his £30m move almost two years ago.
Ward-Prowse has not even really come close either, despite David Beckham’s Premier League record being on the line.
It’s a major source of frustration for fans and undoubtedly Ward-Prowse too.
Perhaps he shouldn’t be on them anymore, though, especially on the right hand side.
Because Bowen scored an absolute world class free-kick from over 25 yards out, right into the top right hand corner of the goal.
The strike brought loud cheers from Bowen’s teammates and the coaching staff. Perhaps it should give Potter food for thought about who should be on free-kicks in and around the box. It’s certainly great to have another option at the very least.
Fullkrug’s hamstring looks fine in blistering display of power
Fullkrug is giving West Ham fans some hope to cling on to this season.
The big German’s performances since his return from injury have been extremely encouraging.
But there has been real disappointment he has not started any games, still restricted to sub or cameo appearances.
Potter says it is because Fullkrug has still been “feeling sensations” in the area following his three-month lay-off.
As a result West Ham are having to be cautious with Fullkrug.
Hammers fans are desperate to see him start against Southampton.
And the good news is there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with his hamstring if the shooting drill is anything to go by.
One of Fullkrug’s strikes from outside the box showed his ridiculous and unerring finishing power and prowess.
It flew off his boot and into the top corner like a bullet. You don’t strike the ball that well and hard if you have any lingering hamstring issues.
Surely to goodness Fullkrug has to start against Southampton.
Now let’s see if any of the work from training actually translates into performances on the pitch.
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