New West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has admitted working on his squad's fitness will be one of his priorities.
New Hammers manager will embrace positive thinking
New West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has admitted working on his squad's fitness will be one of his priorities.
Former Chelsea striker Zola looked on from the stands as the Hammers were beaten 3-2 by West Brom at the Hawthorns with Chris Brunt scoring the winner after a swift break by the home side seven minutes from time.
The Italian was impressed with how his side battled back from conceding the opening goal inside the first three minutes and the spirit they showed throughout, but felt they were found wanting physically at times.
Condition
He told
Radio Five Live: "I think they played a very good first half after having a bad start. In the second half they lacked a bit of physical condition but were very unlucky to lose to the final goal.
"The game is changing a little but what I liked was that the spirit is still there. Teams want to win all the time and they play open football and that is good for the crowd.
"It was not an easy decision. It came out of the blue and I had to consider many things. But it is a great job and a great opportunity for me and I am very pleased to be here."
Good things
Zola has revealed that his managerial style will be enshrined in positivity as he looks to improve on the Upton Park club's 10th-place finish last season.
He added: "I believe you can get the best out of people by getting their respect for what you do, and I think this a good way to get the best out of everybody.
"There may be things that can go wrong but I'm only focusing on positive things.
"My first target will be to establish positive thinking. In football as in life you have to stay positive and think only of the good things that can happen to you."
