Julen Lopetegui came under pressure this week following reports of a bust-up with star winger Mohammed Kudus. The speculation surrounding the argument seemed to stem from suggestions that the Hammers’ head coach was less than impressed with Kudus’s teamwork.
Lopetegui continued to use the ‘T’ word throughout the week, giving further fuel to the conspiracy theories and the term was liberally used throughout his press briefings in the build-up to the visit of Ipswich.
How much truth there is to any of the above, I couldn’t possibly say, but what I do know is that a lack of team ethic is not something that could be levelled against Kudus today. The Ghanaian produced an all-action performance that contained not only the skill and dribbling for which he is famed but also incredible work rate.
Up until his substitution in the 85th minute, Kudus could be seen regularly tracking back and helping out Emerson in defence. There were also a number of crunching tackles as the winger displayed every aspect of his all-action game.
Perhaps the argument between coach and player had been blown out of all proportion, as the club suggested. But maybe, if there were cross words between the two protagonists, it may have done much to clear the air, and hopefully, West Ham will see more of this type of performance.
Make no mistake about it; Kudus was excellent today. Yes, it’s only Ipswich, and perhaps he was overshadowed by the performance of Captain Jarrod Bowen. But to see him play with such energy and freedom, particularly from the left-hand side, is extremely encouraging.
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