“Complete Denial” | Potter Signals Defensive U-Turn Ahead of Palace Clash

The contrast between Graham Potter’s two press conferences could not have been more stark.

After West Ham’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham last weekend, the Hammers boss flatly denied suggestions that his side were weak from corners.

Speaking after the loss, Potter said: “We had defended the set-pieces well and we made a mistake for the first goal. I don’t think Tottenham’s chances against us created too much at all. They had pressure and set-pieces which is what we had to deal with and again I thought we dealt with them well until the start of the second half when we made a mistake.”

To put it mildly, Potter’s version of events did not match reality. Cristian Romero had an unfairly ruled-out goal from a corner, yet West Ham failed to learn their lesson. Incredibly, the diminutive Kyle Walker-Peters was repeatedly tasked with marking the physical Argentine as Spurs exploited the Hammers’ zonal system.

Mismatches were everywhere, and Tottenham’s opener from a corner came as no surprise. West Ham have conceded more corners than any other Premier League side this season—many of them resulting in goals. For Potter to dismiss the issue so casually left many wondering what the hell he was watching.

But what a difference a week makes. In yesterday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Crystal Palace, Potter performed a complete U-turn when asked about defending corners.

“It’s something we need to improve. There is no point denying it. We have to own it and we’ve been working hard on it all week because at the moment it’s hurting us.”

Hallelujah. Finally, the manager has admitted what fans have been screaming for weeks: something must change. And with set-piece specialists Arsenal looming on the horizon, West Ham need a drastic improvement—or risk being hit for a cricket score.

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