West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui has apologised to supporters following their 4-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, but is confident there will be “better moments” in the future.
West Ham conceded three goals in eight minutes and Mohammed Kudus was sent off for violent conduct after shoving Micky van de Ven and Pape Mate Sarr in the face.
The Ghana international will receive a minimum three-match suspension for upcoming games against Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Everton.
Lopetegui’s side sealed a much-needed victory over Ipswich Town before the international break. But the defeat to Tottenham means the Spaniard has only won two of his first eight league games.
“The message is we are sure we are going to have better moments,” Lopetegui said. “The Premier League is very long and we knew that we had a hard start. But we are going to improve to be able to win matches. I am sure about this.
“The end of the season is the moment to see where we are going to be. Today we are very frustrated and so sorry for them (the fans) above all. We are going to work very hard for the next challenge.
“We (me and Kudus) are going to talk. Not today. It’s not the day to talk but he will be aware he can improve his actions in these moments because it is not good for him, the club or the team.”
Lopetegui also apologised to fans after their home defeat to Chelsea last month. West Ham are 15th with eight points and the head coach believes he will need to improve his communication with the players in the coming weeks.
“Despite the fact we are playing maybe one of the best teams in the Premier League in the attacking phase, I think that we can do better in the defensive phase,” Lopetegui added.
“We have to do better. Maybe I have to improve, too, my translation with my players, for sure. The first half was interesting. We did good things. We scored and had chances to score more.
“After 2-1, the worst thing for me is not being able to keep the mentality in this moment. You are losing 2-1 but you have a lot of time in front of you to draw or to win the match. That’s why, for me, we have to improve one important step — to be able to handle these bad moments in another way.”
(Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
