West Ham United have been in training ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea at the London Stadium.
The Hammers welcome the Blues to east London and there’s already a lot riding on the game.
New West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui has come under criticism for his team selections so far.
Especially the starting line-up he named for the clash with Fulham last time out.
Chelsea have the most bloated squad around having hoovered up talent from across the globe.
So every move new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca makes is being analysed.
Lopetegui needs a result at home to light a fire under his West Ham tenure.
Hammers fans will give the Spaniard time but after two home Premier League defeats to start the season, he could do with a win over rivals Chelsea.
Five big things spotted in West Ham training for Chelsea
There have been glimpses of promise here and there for both West Ham and Chelsea under their new managers.
But West Ham fans expect better than what’s been served up so far.
Lopetegui’s side is giving up more shots than any team since Sheffield United last season.
And they have the second fewest shots on target in the top flight so far too.
Chelsea have showed they are a force when they get things going up front after smashing Wolves 6-2. But they can also be got at defensively.
There will be intense focus on Lopetegui’s team selection for the Chelsea game.
A top spokesman inside the club gave Hammers News a major update on injured striker Niclas Fullkrug yesterday.
Now the Hammers have released footage from Rush Green.
Here’s five big things spotted in West Ham training for Chelsea as new man is back heavily involved.
1) Jean-Clair Todibo wait may go on
Many West Ham fans have been calling for Lopetegui to bring new signing Jean-Clair Todibo into the starting XI.
Konstantinos Mavropanos has been decent overall this season. But he is prone to mistakes and was at fault for the goal at Fulham.
Todibo started the cup game against Bournemouth last month but looked understandably rusty and was subbed at half-time.
The wait for the French centre-back – who needs to complete five Premier League starts for his deal to be made permanent – may go on, though.
Because whole Todibo was involved in full training, he still looks rusty and not as mobile as he’ll need to be to compete in the Premier League. Todibo was wearing tracksuit bottoms and had a couple of difficult moments in rondos and small-sided games. On this evidence it looks unlikely he’ll start against Chelsea.
2) Lucas Paqueta looking better
Fans were shocked when Lucas Paqueta was dropped for the game at Fulham.
But Hammers News spotted footage showing Paqueta coughing and looking under weather ahead of the game.
The good news is the Brazilian is looking brighter in training.
So he should be back involved from the start against Chelsea.
West Ham fans saw what a difference he made coming into the side at half-time against Fulham.
3) New man Luis Guilherme back heavily involved
Luis Guilherme has been a strange signing so far for West Ham. Tim Steidten’s first addition of the summer cost the club £20m.
But he has been left out of Premier League squads by Lopetegui thus far
And he didn’t get on in the cup either.
Guilherme has barely been seen in media from the club either.
Fans felt the development side’s EFL Trophy game against Newport would have been a good run out for Guilherme on Tuesday night. But he wasn’t in that squad either.
Perhaps that’s because he will be involved in the squad to face Chelsea? Guilherme is heavily featured in training footage and acquits himself well.
Perhaps after a period to allow him to settle in, Lopetegui is planning to start getting him more involved?
4) No sign of 50-50 Niclas Fullkrug
Unfortunately there was absolutely no sign of new striker Fullkrug in the session.
West Ham told Hammers News he was only 50-50 for the Chelsea game.
With two training days remaining, the German faces a race against time to be ready for the game.
On this evidence it may be Michail Antonio up front again. Unless Danny Ings has leapfrogged him in the pecking order after his Fulham heroics.
Having said that, most fans would prefer to see Jarrod Bowen up front with Mohammed Kudus on the right and Crysencio Summerville on the left.
5) No sign of Emerson Palmieri either
It could be Aaron Wan-Bissaka deputising once again at left-back as Emerson Palmieri was missing from training.
The left-back went off with a bang on the knee at Fulham. Lopetegui said he would be sent for a scan.
Emerson was nowhere to be seen so that must cast doubt on his availability to face his former club Chelsea.
Other points of interest:
Summerville once again looked seriously sharp in the small sided games, winning applause from his teammates.
And a word for Andy Irving – who took the best penalty of the lot in a shootout match at the end of training
