'It's exciting to have so many strong options now'published at 12:41
James Jones
Fan writer
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There was enough evidence from West Ham's opening weekend defeat to Aston Villa to suggest it wouldn't take long for new boss Julen Lopetegui to get his first win as boss. Seven days later and he's off the mark with a hugely impressive 2-0 victory away at Crystal Palace.
Only a few months ago, we lost 5-2 at Selhurst Park as David Moyes' hugely successful four-year reign threatened to end in a whimper. Given just two of Lopetegui's summer signings started the win last weekend, it just shows the impact he's already having on the squad.
What was most evident this time around, though, was the options the Spaniard had at his disposal on the bench. The likes of Niclas Fullkrug, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Edson Alvarez and Jean-Clair Todibo were called upon in the second half, with Fullkrug going on to win more aerial duels than anyone from both sides (5) and Wan-Bissaka's run up the right wing from his own half leading to West Ham's opener. Max Kilman, another new signing, assisted the second goal.
Back in April, all Moyes had to try and turn the game on its head was Maxwell Cornet, Danny Ings, Kalvin Phillips and Ben Johnson. They didn't obviously.
Squad depth - or a lack of - was one of the biggest frustrations amongst the fanbase throughout the last four years. It was partially blamed on the failure to reach the Europa League final in 2022 and the club's Premier League struggles in 2022-2023.
In just one summer Lopetegui hasn't just improved the starting XI, he's also improved squad depth to a level that means players can be introduced off the bench and actually have a meaningful impact on proceedings.
It's exciting to have so many strong options now - it's just a shame we don't have European football this season to really put them to the test.
Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external
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