Ipswich Town are back on the road this weekend as they take on West Ham at the London Stadium. Alex Jones takes a closer look at the Hammers.
A big change
David Moyes was, in some ways, a controversial figure at West Ham, who had two stints at the club. The second, which lasted from 2019 until the end of last season, looked incredibly successful.
He took over from Manuel Pellegrini and kept the club up despite a dire start, finishing 16th. They ended up in sixth the following campaign and then reached the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2021/22, finishing seventh in the Premier League.
The season after that, they lifted the Europa Conference League – their first major trophy since 1980 and their first European title since 1965. Even then, Moyes always had his critics, especially surrounding his style of play.
When league results weren’t what they should’ve been, it created a toxic environment at the club. As a result, all parties decided that it was best for him to step away at the end of last season.
A number of candidates were linked with the vacancy, but West Ham opted for former Real Madrid and Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui, who was appointed back in May.
Pressure builds
Lopetegui was accepted by the West Ham fanbase, but some saw it an uninspiring choice. He was backed heavily over the summer, where the club signed Luis Guilherme (Palmeiras, £25.5 million), Maximilian Kilman (Wolves, £40 million), Crysencio Summerville (Leeds United, £25 million), Niclas Füllkrug (Borussia Dortmund, £27 million) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United, £15 million).
On top of that, midfielder Guido Rodríguez was signed on a free transfer from Real Betis while Jean-Clair Todibo (OGC Nice) and Carlos Soler (PSG) were brought in on loan until the end of the season.
Crucially, they lost no key players over the summer. Thilo Kehrer (AS Monaco), Said Benrahma (Lyon) and Flynn Downes (Southampton) were the only first-team squad members to depart, but they all spent at least part of last season out on loan.
Because of that, Lopetegui was expected to pick up results from the start, although it was clear he’d need time to get the group to gel. They were poor in an opening-day defeat to Aston Villa, but showed a big improvement to win away at Crystal Palace the following weekend before knocking Bournemouth out of the Carabao Cup.
A home defeat to Manchester City was expected, but they needed a last-gasp equaliser to take a point at Fulham before they were comfortably beaten at home by Chelsea. A Carabao Cup thrashing at Anfield only soured the mood, which seemingly reached boiling point when the Irons fell behind to Brentford in the opening 40 seconds of their last league match.
A report from ExWHUEmployee claimed that there was tension between Lopetegui and Mohammed Kudus after it was revealed that the Ghana international was being brought off at half time. Tomáš Souček bagged the equaliser with his 29th Premier League goal as West Ham ended up with a point, easing the pressure on the manager.
That being said, the atmosphere at the club is clearly quite volatile. Per Opta, this is the first time they’ve started a season with three home defeats. Lopetegui could be the 12th manager to lose his first four home Premier League matches in charge at a club.
Of those previous 11, the only one who did so in a season that didn’t then see that club relegated was Bryan Robson at West Brom in 2004/05.
Protest planned
Things aren’t overly cheerful for West Ham off the pitch either. Many fans were understandably left feeling furious following the decision to raise ticket prices once again this season.
On top of that, the club have also made the decision to scrap reduced concession ticket prices for the majority of seats in the stadium, meaning that those who qualify as disabled, are over the age 66 or under the age 21 will pay the same as an adult in bands 1, 2, 3 and 4.
For some games, like their upcoming match against Man United, these tickets will cost at least £70.
A petition from Hammers United titled ‘oppose season ticket price rises & changes to concession tickets’ has now reached 20,000 signatures. Ipswich Town Fans Supporting Foodbanks, the club's sole affiliate to the Football Supporters Association, are calling for Town fans to stand with West Ham fans in condemning the almost total removal of concessionary tickets across the stadium.
A protest has been organised ahead of the match, where supporters will hold a banner that reads ‘stop exploiting loyalty’. Fans are gathering outside the National Aquatics Centre, just down from Westfield Shopping Centre on the bridge to the London Stadium, at 1:30pm tomorrow.
Elijah Aldridge, co-founder of Ipswich Town Fans Supporting Foodbanks, invited all away fans to join the protest saying, “Ipswich Town fans swallowed an 8% increase in Season Ticket prices with individual games up a massive 26% on 23/24.
"Whilst this was softened by promotion, we all have a duty to protect the next generation of fans, and to prevent the loyalty of so-called legacy fans from being exploited. We hope that Town fans will stand in solidarity with the West Ham supporters fighting for their children, parents and selves."
Clear quality
Despite all the negativity at West Ham right now, you can’t ignore the quality and the depth in their squad.
Lopetegui is starting to settle on a preferred back four of Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman and Emerson. Three of those four players are new to the club and are still trying to adapt to their surroundings, but in time, they could become a formidable unit.
Ahead of them, Rodríguez is battling with Soucek and Edson Álvarez to start in midfield. Rodríguez was on the verge of signing for FC Barcelona at the start of the summer while Alvarez has attracted interest from a lot of top European clubs. All three players are senior internationals with significant experience.
New club captain Jarrod Bowen scored the most non-penalty goals of any English player in the Premier League last season. Alongside him is Lucas Paquetá, who’s been linked with a move to Manchester City for a number of transfer windows, and Kudus, who’s been one of West Ham’s top performers since arriving in East London in 2023.
On top of that, they’ve also got Summerville, who was named as the Championship Player of the Year at last season’s EFL Awards, having notched 19 goals and nine assists for Daniel Farke’s side in the second tier.
Up top, veteran Michail Antonio has been the preferred option. He’s been supported by Fullkrug – when fit – as well as ex-Liverpool striker Danny Ings.
What's been said?
Lopetegui is fully aware of the threat that Town pose in the Premier League, highlighting their four-match unbeaten run heading into the game against the Hammers.
“I’ve seen all their matches and know that we’re going to play against a good team," the Spaniard said. "They’re a team that’s worked together for three years, I think, with a very good coach.
“They’re a very consistent team. That’s why they didn’t lose against Fulham, Brighton, Aston Villa and Southampton. It’s because they work well as a team, with the ball and without the ball.
“They’re a very interesting team and we have to be ready to compete and to be able to win this match. This is our aim and we’re working towards that.”
Of course, Lopetegui is fully aware that he's facing pretty significant pressure to get a result, particularly with games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United on the horizon. However, he doesn't want to place any extra emphasis on this match, although he's keen to improve their poor home form.
“It’s always very important to win, and that’s why we work hard every day," he added.
“We don’t look too far into the future - the only thing we have in our minds at this time is the game against Ipswich, but it is important for us to perform well in this match and get the desired result.
“Our job in football is to live with pressure - it's normal, because we want to win. We haven’t lost away, but we haven’t won at home, and we want more. That’s why we are continuing to work hard, and our aim is to change that record on Saturday.”
Team news
West Ham’s only injury concern heading into this game is Füllkrug, who’s featured three times off the bench for the Irons in the Premier League. He picked up a calf injury away on international duty with Germany and has been ruled out for this game.
Álvarez, who was given a red card in the 5-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, is available after serving his suspension. He’ll be expected to return to the starting lineup here, which could see Rodriguez drop to the bench.
Kudus is the only other question mark. Although it was reported that the incident with him and Lopetegui has now been resolved, there’s clearly a doubt as to whether he’ll be involved in this game from the start.
If not, Summerville would be the likely candidate to come in, having put in a man-of-the-match performance in his last game against Ipswich for Leeds in December 2023.
Possible XI: 4-2-3-1: Areola; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Souček, Álvarez; Bowen, Paquetá, Summerville; Antonio
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