- Julen Lopetegui says West Ham must be wary of the new manager bounce
- The Hammers will face Southampton, who will have Ivan Juric in the dugout
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Are Tottenham managers treated differently to other managers?
Julen Lopetegui has warned his West Ham players to be wary of falling foul of ‘new manager bounce’ for a second time when they take on Southampton on Boxing Day.
Bottom-of-the-table Saints have appointed Ivan Juric to replace Russell Martin and face the Hammers in their first game under the new boss.
West Ham were Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first opponent after he took charge at Leicester and Lopetegui’s side fell to a 3-1 defeat at the King Power Stadium – something he said his players need to make sure does not happen again.
‘As always with a new coach, there is extra energy among the players and the environment. We felt this against Leicester. It is going to be a very difficult match for us. We have to be ready.
‘Juric is a very experienced coach in Italy. For sure he’ll bring a new energy for the team when you change a coach. Above all they have good players.
‘They are a good team. Despite being at the bottom, they are a real Premier League team, they have shown it in a lot of moments. I saw them play against Fulham and other games and they have quality players.’
Julen Lopetegui warned his players of the new manager bounce when they face Southampton
West Ham will face Southampton, for whom Ivan Juric will be in the dugout for the first time
Southampton earned a creditable draw away at Fulham in caretaker boss Simon Rusk’s final match in charge
Lopetegui also believes West Ham will see more from striker Niclas Fullkrug despite his disappointing first league start against Brighton.
Fullkrug struggled to make an impact at the London Stadium and was withdrawn before the hour, only for the Hammers to score their equaliser less than a minute later with Jarrod Bowen moved into the middle.
‘We lost a very important player for a long time in Michail [Antonio},’ added Lopetegui. ‘It’s true we haven’t had Fullkrug in his best way. Danny Ings is doing well and we can use too Jarrod Bowen.
‘We have to understand that all of them have to be in their best way to help a lot. Sometimes the timing isn’t the best. He was out for three and a half months. Now he’s recovering and trying to help us in the second part of the season.
‘All of the the squad is going to be important and needs to be ready. The players on the bench are no less important, they are going to bring us key moments in the matches. We have to take advantage of that.’
