Talking Points | Lopetegui on getting started, jobs at hand and what fans can expect | West Ham United F.C.

Jobs at hand

It’s important we don’t put limits on our mind at this moment, and set out too many specific targets. I always say ‘you can dream, but you have to work very hard to achieve your dreams’, and that is what we’re going to do.

My aim is to go into each match believing we can win it – this is my way of working. We know it’s impossible to win every game, of course, but always having that ambition is important. We’re going to try to put these kinds of demands into the minds of the players, and convince them we’re here to make a big noise in the Premier League.

It’s going to be a long season, and there will be ups and downs, but we’ll try to use those bad moments as a platform to build again. I can’t wait to get going, and I am already looking forward to that first game against Aston Villa on 17 August.

Key players

We know that Edson Álvarez has picked up an injury while he’s been away with Mexico, and he will be a miss. With Lucas [Paquetá], we know he and his family have suffered with things recently, but we are his family and we’re looking forward to having him back on the pitch playing with us.

We’re working hard to try and improve the squad, but the first thing to do is highlight the strong platform we already have. We have to try and take advantage of pre-season, and be as ready as we can be for when the new campaign starts.