Julian Stephan has half an idea of what to expect from Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham United when his Queens Park Rangers side make the trip to the London Stadium for the FA Cup third round.
The QPR boss feels that his opposite number is likely to put plenty of importance on Sunday’s clash.
Because while many a Premier League manager has been accused of sacrificing the cup competitions in recent years – ‘disrespecting’ the FA Cup has been an annual moral panic now for well over a decade – Nuno Espirito Santo will know that his reputation may not survive a home defeat by a second-tier side, and a London neighbour for that matter.
What is your FAVOURITE West Ham FA Cup memory?
Di Canio v Barthez, perhaps?
West Ham United need a distraction. Something to smile about. Beating QPR handsomely, and avoiding a proverbial banana skin, would at least take the focus off their miserable Premier League campaign for 24 hours or so.
So while many West Ham fans are hoping to see Mohamadou Kante given a first start in central midfield, Stephan expects to come up against a team wielding many of their biggest names from Lucas Paqueta and Tomas Soucek to captain Jarrod Bowen.
QPR boss Julian Stephan hails Jarrod Bowen and two other West Ham United players
Bowen dreams of skippering West Ham to FA Cup glory. And following third round exits in each of the last three seasons, a QPR triumph at the London Stadium doesn’t bear thinking about.
“It’s a very, very nice competition, but we know the rule. We don’t have another chance. It’s only one game and it’s a difficult draw, of course; we play away against a Premier League team,” says Stephan, who won the French equivalent when guiding Rennes to Coupe de France glory in 2019.
“But we have to enjoy the moment because we will play in a big stadium against a great team with great players, probably in a great atmosphere because we will have a lot of fans in the stands.
“So we have to enjoy the moment and, yeah, try of course to do our best and to give everything for all the fans. And [we must] be competitive because I think, the players, they want to play against the best teams.
“West Ham, even if they struggle in the Premier League, they are one of the best teams in the country with very strong players. Paqueta, Bowen, Soucek for example; they all play with their national teams, so that means a lot in terms of quality.”
Stephan dreaming of a ‘very special’ FA Cup triumph at the London Stadium
George Earthy is unlikely to feature with Hammers News understanding that he is set to return for a second loan spell at Bristol City. The aforementioned Kante will hope to get at least a few minutes, though, after making a handful of cameo appearances in recent weeks alongside teenage defender Ezra Mayers.
Out of 10, how CONFIDENT are you that Nuno can still save West Ham?
Beating QPR in the FA Cup is a start…
“Sometimes you are an outsider and you can win against a contender. It’s not usual, but it can happen. You just have to do a top, top, top game. If you don’t do a top, top, top game, it’s impossible. Especially when you are a heavy outsider, and this is our case against West Ham,” adds Stephan, whose QPR side have conceded the second-most goals in the Championship this season despite their mid-table placing.
“But if you do a top, top, top game, if you manage all the details in the game very well, if you succeed in creating a good momentum at the beginning of the game, to create something special in terms of atmosphere, sometimes at the end you can have something very special.
“It will be our challenge with the players to succeed in doing that.
“I don’t know, but I think they will put [out] their best team. It’s an opportunity for them to create momentum in their season and try to create something positive for the next game in the Premier League.
“They probably need to create that momentum, so we can imagine they will put their best team in. But to be honest, I prefer staying focused on our players, our dressing room, and how we want to play this game.”
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