West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui has reportedly had issues with the performance of Ghana international Kudus Mohammed since he took over from David Moyes.
The Spaniard, on numerous occasions, has been seen shouting at Kudus from the touch line to track down and defend especially in away games.
As a result, Lopetegui took off both Kudus and Emerson at half-time in the game against Brentford on Saturday and replaced them with Carlos Soler and Konstantinos Mavropanos respectively.
He therefore moved a number of players into new positions and it worked for him as Soucek bundled home from close range for the equaliser and helped West Ham to maintain their unbeaten away record this season.
Although, initial reports were that Kudus might have picked up an injury and signalled the medical and technical staff to take him off but Lopetegui said otherwise and suggested that his players worked as a team without Kudus.
“The second half we worked as a team, and for me this is a very important step. I highlighted the behaviour in the second half, because I think we put on the pitch what we needed,” he said.
Lopetegui also praised Soucek for his work rate and dedication for the team.
“He sets a very good example,” Lopetegui said of Soucek. “He works always for the team. We need this kind of attitude.”
