Tottenham Hotspur be warned because the penny has finally dropped for West Ham under Julen Lopetegui.
It was just two weeks ago that Julen Lopetegui was feeling the heat at West Ham.
A 1-1 draw at Brentford meant the Hammers had only one win in six Premier League games under their new head coach.
There were even rumours Lopetegui could be the first Premier League manager axed if the Hammers failed to beat Ipswich.
West Ham’s owners are not ones to hire and fire easily. So it is highly unlikely that would have been the case.
But the pressure was most certainly on the 57-year-old and his team.
West Ham rose to the occasion and got their most convincing win of the year, beating the Tractor Boys 4-1.
The international break was probably the last thing West Ham and Lopetegui needed after finally picking up some confidence and momentum.
There have been doubts raised over Lopetegui after the slow start.
Top West Ham star says penny finally dropped under Lopetegui
His decision to drip-feed new signings into the team sucked the excitement out of the early season.
West Ham fans and observers had also struggled to see any drastic improvement to the style of play – a big remit for the Spaniard when he replaced David Moyes.
There had been glimpses before Ipswich.
Improved possession and passing statistics being the most obvious.
Some fans had dubbed Lopetegui ‘just a Spanish Moyes’.
Especially as many were expecting a high energy, pressing approach that was the polar opposite of Moyes’ low block.
West Ham showed their against Ipswich.
West Ham fans get Lopetegui answers
The challenge now will be to sustain those kind of performance levels if the club wants to achieve the stated aim of qualifying for Europe again.
A win at Spurs would seriously light a fire under the Lopetegui era – while also seeing the Hammers move above their rivals.
Supporters have heard a lot from players about how difficult it has been to adjust to a completely new style of play since the change of manager.
Now a top West Ham star says the penny has finally dropped under Lopetegui.
Emerson Palmieri saw a welcome return to form against Ipswich.
He made seven tackles in the game, the most of any player in the Premier League.
Emerson also got forward and involved in the attacks more than he has been, providing the cross which ultimately resulted in Mohammed Kudus putting West Ham 2-1 ahead at the break.
‘Just the start’ of high-pressing Hammers says Emerson
The Brazilian-born star has – like many of his teammates – been off form for much of 2024.
Now he says West Ham’s players finally get it under the new boss in terms of the style of play and all-important pressing game.
And Emerson believes the Ipswich win was ‘just the beginning’.
“I think we put in a lot of intensity, a high press, and all the time we tried to play for this,” Emerson told the club’s website.
“All the time we tried to score, so this is good. With the possession as well, with the ball, we did it very well. We put in the high press for all the 90 minutes, so I think for this week, we deserved to get this result.
“I think since the first day with the new manager, we always try to do everything well and of course, when you don’t win some people can say things are wrong, but we always work harder and we always try to win every game.
“I think it was a good result, but it’s just the beginning. We need to stay in this focus and try to win more games…
“If you do the high press, that’s because of them (the forward players) because they start the press and at the end of the day we’re happy for them because they scored goals and helped us a lot.”
This is as great to hear as it was to see against Ipswich.
Forget the fans believing in the manager, the most important thing is for the players to believe and buy in to his tactics, ideas and philosophy.
It sounds like West Ham’s players have started to do just that in recent weeks.
So watch out Spurs.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
