Vladimir Coufal says Lens were just as tough as West Ham expected them to be as the Hammers' pre-season ended with a goalless draw in France.
David Moyes' side drew 0-0 with RC Lens in their final pre-season friendly of the summer as the Hammers completed their preparations for the new Premier League campaign, which kicks off against champions Manchester City at the London Stadium next Sunday.
Despite the scoreline, it was an intense game in warm conditions in northern France, with the Hammers failing to find a breakthrough in front of 38,000 fans at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, with the Ligue 1 club providing a good test for West Ham.
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And Coufal says that was exactly what the Hammers expected from a side that beat Italian giants Inter Milan 1-0 in a friendly the week before.
"Yes, it was, but we knew it would be because we saw them in the video meeting on Friday and they looked really good and really sharp on the ball and without the ball their pressing was really unpleasant," he said, speaking after the 0-0 draw with Lens. "Last week, they beat Inter Milan, so they’re a good team and were a good test for us.”
“Yes, I think so. They were a different sort of opponent to the Premier League, so alive and so sharp, so we needed to get used to it and I think after 15 or 20 minutes we did it and we took control of the game and the second half was not how we wanted, but I would say much better. We hit the bar, but they did as well, so hopefully we are ready for next Sunday.”
The Hammers now return to England to continue their final preparations for the new season, with one week until the visit of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to east London on the opening weekend of the campaign.
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