Joel Veltman: A clean sheet means a lot to us, and we hope the team can continue their excellent defensive form.

Joel Veltman expects West Ham United to maintain their solid defensive performance and continue their streak of clean sheets. Following a resounding 3-0 home victory against Derby County, West Ham United secured three points in the Championship with a comfortable win.  

Aside from a few moments of passivity in the second half, West Ham United maintained control of the game for most of the time. If they had converted their numerous scoring opportunities, they could have quickly widened the gap and sealed the victory after Joel Piro's goal in the 6th minute.  

However, as the game progressed, West Ham United's attacking threat gradually diminished, allowing Derby County to slowly adapt to the pace of the game. Nevertheless, the away team still struggled to create any real chances to threaten West Ham United's goal.  

After the match, Joel Veltman said, "It's certainly a pleasing thing to win two games in a row. Overall, we played quite well today. Of course, the game wasn't easy because the opponents maintained a deep defensive formation, which made it difficult for us to find a breakthrough. But in the end, we still managed to score three goals."  

“Scoring early in the game definitely made us more composed on the pitch, because it made the gaps between the opponent's defense and the space we could exploit more obvious. From a defensive perspective, the importance of the midfield area is further enhanced, which was very evident in the last 10 minutes of the game. We had a lot of space to exploit at that time, and I think we need to do better in the last 15 to 20 minutes.”  

Following their clean sheet against Derby County, Joel Veltman hopes West Ham United can maintain their excellent defensive form and continue to limit the attacking threat of their upcoming opponents. Before the international break, West Ham will face Bolton Wanderers and Millwall away from home, followed by a home game against Wrexham.  

He continued, "This clean sheet is crucial for us. We know that the team has many players who can create goals through their individual abilities. Now, keeping a clean sheet is equally important, and this game can be a good starting point for us to keep a clean sheet. We have experienced some difficult games before, and sometimes the results were affected by luck, but now our teamwork is gradually becoming more and more seamless."  

“We understand each other better now, and our communication is much more thorough than before. Whether in training and matches or in our daily interactions, we are more familiar with each other. This change makes it easier for us to find our rhythm when we actually step onto the field. We have four matches left before the international break, and the transfer window has officially closed. Now that the team's roster is finalized, we will focus on playing well in the upcoming matches.”  

Image source: Internet/West Ham United official website