El Hadji Malick Diouf is simply the latest West Ham United player to praise the appointment of Paco Jemez as a coach.
Appointing Jemez is increasingly looking like a masterstroke at West Ham United.
Several key players have hailed Jemez’s coaching prowess at the club’s Rush Green training base and Diouf has followed suit.
How impressed have you been?
And do you see a long-term future for him at the club?
Indeed, a picture is starting to be painted for Hammers fans about the former Rayo Vallecano manager.
Diouf’s praise and Jemez’s impact explained
Speaking to West Ham United’s official website, Diouf said: “It’s because the work here, the work we do at training with the gaffer and Paco.
“They are doing a really good job because, especially Paco, he’s helped us a lot as defenders.”
“So, we are doing well at training and it’s then that on the pitch, we have to show it, stay together, play as a team. It’s what we build and right now, I think we are really compact.
“We are now not a simple team, but a family and we are playing together.”
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Jemez was a highly-rated manager in Spanish football in his own right, although there were suggestions that his brand of football was slightly more expansive than just focusing on the defence.
However, between Jemez, January signing Axel Disasi and Nuno Espirito Santo, West Ham’s defence has come on leaps and bounds.
In fact, they conceded 47 times in 24 games prior to his appointment in mid-January, which is an average of 1.96 goals per game.
After Jemez was appointed just before the win over Tottenham in mid-January, they have conceded 11 times in nine games, bringing that average down to 1.22 goals conceded per game.
What other West Ham United players have said about Paco Jemez
Last month, Tomas Soucek described Jemez as a “crazy guy”.
“Paco’s a crazy guy,” he said.
“The manager and the staff around him, including Paco, are a big part of this transformation. In training, the sessions have improved massively.”
Previously, Jarrod Bowen has claimed that Jemez has made a big impact on West Ham’s defending.
“He’s come in and he’s focused a lot on the defenders. I think his playing background was being a defender himself and he’s come in and he’s worked with the manager and helped the manager in different ways with the defensive side of things.”
Vent your frustrations here 👇 Every club has a scapegoat 😂
Meanwhile, Mateus Fernandes praised Jemez for bringing fighting spirit to the West Ham cause.
“I think Paco Jemez has brought a lot of the fighting spirit,” he said after the draw with Manchester United.
Quite how much credit one gives to Jemez is up for debate. Though his impact can hardly be denied, Nuno also deserves praise.
The meeting of minds has propelled West Ham United up the table and has given them a real chance of survival.
Between them, Jemez and Nuno have put the club in a position to feel positive again.
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