Julen Lopetegui was left feeling his West Ham side had much to improve on after losing 2-1 to Aston Villa in his first game in charge.
Villa took the lead after just four minutes through Amadou Onana before Lucas Paqueta levelled from the spot before half-time.
There would be no dream start to Lopetegui’s time at the helm, however, as Jhon Duran scored the winner after 79 minutes, before Tomas Soucek missed two clear opportunities to level at the death.
Instead, the Spaniard was left pondering improvements to his new side after a disappointing display.
"We're going to have a lot of things to improve. Above all in the second half we have a big opportunity to win the match and we lost. We have to learn and improve in the next step," he told Sky Sports.
"In the second half we started well, we had the initiative. Maybe in the last moments we didn't take the right decisions.
"They get to score a second goal. I am not happy again because we suffered one goal in set-pieces that in these kinds of matches these little details are going to be key."
Onana’s opener came from a corner, unsurprisingly given all of his Premier League goals (four) have been headers. However, it called into question the host’s defence as Michail Antonio struggled to mark the Belgium international in the box.
But Lopetegui was also disappointed with the Hammers' lack of edge at the other end of the pitch.
"We had the last 20 minutes under control and had a good chance to score the second goal, but didn't," he later told BBC Match of the Day.
"We suffered with their second goal, but after that we had two clear chances [to equalise]. We didn't [take them] and we have to keep the good things. It's a pity for us and for our fans – we had big expectations and ambitions for this match."
West Ham's big misses were evident in their 2.4 expected goals (xG). In comparison, their opponents proved far more clinical, with their goals coming from 1.89 xG.
There was some reason for optimism for Lopetegui, however, as he handed out six debuts during the match, the most for West Ham in a single game in the Premier League since 2018 against Liverpool (also six).
"For a lot of players it was their first match in our stadium. Max [Kilman] did well. Guido [Rodriguez] too," the former Spain coach added.
"A lot of them have to improve and push the players in the line-up to be more competitive."
Emery wants to keep Duran but concedes Villa's matchwinner could leave
Unai Emery has said he wants to keep Jhon Duran despite transfer speculation after scoring the winner in Aston Villa's 2-1 victory over West Ham.
Duran slotted home the winner in the 79th minute after Lucas Paqueta’s spot-kick had ruled out Amadou Onana's early opener.
It was Duran's sixth Premier League goal in just 616 minutes of action in the competition, meaning he has averaged a goal every 103 minutes. That rate has only been bettered by Erling Haaland among those who have scored more than five goals.
Duran's goal was all the more fitting given he was seemingly on the verge of joining the Hammers earlier this summer, with the Colombia international even gesturing with an "irons" celebration in a social media video.
But Duran has so far stayed at Villa Park, and Emery is keen to keep it that way, although the Spaniard warned there are no guarantees.
"We were open with every player to accept a good offer and one of those players is him. But we know how much we believe in him and if he leaves it's because the offer is very good, but I want to keep him," Emery told the media.
“We believe in Duran and in his potential. We are always open to working with him if he's like he is today, helping the team and he was fantastic."
Speaking on other possible transfers, Emery suggested Alex Moreno was the most likely left-back to depart the club this summer.
Having joined in January 2023, Moreno appears to be behind Lucas Digne and new arrival Ian Maatsen in the pecking order, and Nottingham Forest are among the clubs reportedly interested.
"We signed Ian Maatsen and we were speaking with different players in this position. The difficulty is to manage with three left-backs. Moreno is the player who is now close to leaving," he explained.
Debutant Onana headed in Villa's first goal, and while impressed with the midfielder's display, Emery knows there is more to come from the former Everton man.
"There’s still a lot of adaptation ahead, in training and in matches. Today it was his first official match with us. He was very mature, responsible and intelligent," he said.
“I think this is the first step we need. The adaptation is going to be long, because there are a lot of things we want to get out of him, but his potential is most important."
Villa bucked a poor record away at West Ham having gone without a win in their previous nine encounters away from Villa Park.
Despite West Ham’s superior 2.4 expected goals, Emery felt his side were deserving of their victory.
"The first 30 minutes were very good. We were in control of the game, with good positioning. We did'’t concede a corner until the 28th minute. We scored one and had a chance to get a second with Leon Bailey [hitting the post]," he reflected.
"They got a goal too, and we started the second half a bit softly. But we started controlling the game more again and deserved to win."
McClaren eager to get going in Concacaf Nations League; warns against complacency
While expressing his excitement as he prepares to lead the country into Concacaf Nations League battle, recently appointed Reggae Boyz Head coach Steve McClaren also warned against complacency all-round, mindful that the main objective is qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Englishman is under no illusions that the challenge ahead will be easy but remains confident in the Reggae Boyz ability to perform at the highest level. The Boyz will bow into Nations League action on September 6 against Cuba at the National Stadium before visiting Honduras on September 10.
They will then visit Nicaragua on October 10, followed by a return-leg fixture against Honduras on October 14.
“I’m excited; I’ve been excited from day one. The biggest thing is to get started. I’ve called a few players and watched a few games in getting ready for Cuba on September 6. The Reggae Boyz have great potential and I’m very proud to be a part of this journey, as it’s a privilege for anybody to coach a national team because you are representing a country,” McClaren said during an interview with Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) media.
McLaren, who boasts a wealth of experience coaching in and around Europe, including a stint as Manchester United’s assistant coach, underscored that the Nations League will serve as a crucial stepping stone in the team's preparation for World Cup qualification, offering them a platform to build momentum and fine-tune their strategies.
With the powerhouses Mexico, the United States, and Canada already qualifying for the World Cup as hosts, McLaren knows they can take nothing for granted, as every other team across the region will fancy their chances of booking a spot at the global showpiece.
“Every team in the Caribbean now will be thinking they have a chance. In football, there’s never an easy game; complacency is the biggest killer of all,” McLaren noted.
“Therefore, we can’t be complacent in the Nations League or the qualifiers for the World Cup. We must be committed, we must want to be here, and we must all be aligned to the goal of World Cup 2026, from the president [Michael Ricketts] all the way down,” the former England manager added.
That said, the 63-year-old welcomed the camaraderie among the current crop of players, which he believes will make his job that much easier, as his aim was always to ensure there was such a foundation.
“They look like they have great togetherness. I have spoken to players and staff, and everybody loves coming to join up for Jamaica. You have got to enjoy what you do, and that’s a great advantage. All I want to do is carry on with the good work that has gone on,” McLaren declared.
Gross wants more after laying on two assists on dream Dortmund debut
Pascal Gross believes he has room for improvement despite starting his Borussia Dortmund career with two assists in Saturday's routine DFB-Pokal win over Phonix Lubeck.
Gross teed up first-half goals for fellow new signing Waldemar Anton and Julian Brandt as Dortmund advanced to the competition's second round with a 4-1 win over their fourth-tier hosts.
He is the first player on record (since the 2008-09 season) to record two assists on his first Pokal appearance for BVB.
He also created the joint-most chances of any player on the pitch (three, alongside Brandt), while his 154 accurate passes were only bettered by Niklas Sule (191).
As Nuri Sahin's side prepare for their Bundesliga opener against Eintracht Frankfurt next week, the former Brighton and Hove Albion man believes there is more to come.
"There was no alternative but to win the match. We played a good game in the first period and showed some good ideas, but we can and must improve," he told Sky Sports Germany.
"I also have room for improvement. It was my first match, it was decent. I want to get to know my team-mates better every day.
"My job is to carry our play from back to front, to give it a certain stability and to set our attacking weapons in motion."
Sahin's first competitive game in charge saw BVB dominate possession with an 85.2% share, with Sule (196) attempting the most passes of any player in a Pokal match on record.
Sahin himself was the previous record holder, having attempted 184 passes for Dortmund versus 1860 Munich in 2013.
"It's important to play in a dominant way in the first round and not let anything go to waste," the former midfielder said.
Asked about the defensive lapse that led to Phonix pulling a goal back early in the second half, he added: "We played over 1,000 passes, so concentration can sometimes drop in a game like this."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
