Veltman: Hurzeler got perfect response from us

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Nick Szczepanik

2025-02-10T06:00+00:00

Joel Veltman's cross found the head of Georginio to equalise against the Blues. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Joel Veltman was pleased with the 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the the FA Cup and especially the way Albion responded to the 7-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest in the previous match.

“Obviously, we had a bad result,” he said. “But now it's a great bounce-back game against Chelsea at home. Everything we needed to do, we did.

“We knew the things we needed to improve. When you have an off day - maybe that's an understatement, although every shot went in for them [Forest] - then you need a response in the game after, and I think we did tonight.

“I wouldn't say the win could change everything - it doesn't need to change everything - but it's always, always nice. It's a funny one, because we get them (Chelsea) on Friday as well again. So we need to do the same again.”

Joel had a feeling that a good performance would follow an intense week on the training ground. “It’s easier to say after the game, but the week we had, honestly, team spirit-wise, it was amazing. Maybe in training, the best week ever. Quality-wise, intensity-wise, exactly what the gaffer wanted after the Forest result. And it paid off in the game.

“The gaffer is always hammering on about intensity, running back, running forward as well, when the attackers have the ball, stuff like that. And sometimes you need a result like that [at Forest] to get a sort of a reminder. You don't want it, but it could be a positive thing as well.”

Joel was one of the players that head coach Fabian Hurzeler sought out for one-to-one consultation in the week leading up to the match. “He talked with some players, like, what's the best way now to bounce back? Obviously, with the more experienced players, also with some young lads.

“Of course I think he did well. The gaffer makes his own decisions, but he wants to feel the situation in the group, and that's what makes him a really good gaffer. You have a sense for what's going on in the dressing room. So again, that's paid off.”

It helped that matches against Chelsea have an added spice, and Joel was shown a yellow card for a challenge on former Albion defender Marc Cucurella. “Yeah obviously, when you play against Chelsea, you need to do a bit more than normal, I think, and get them out of the rhythm, everybody did.

“I think their goal was out of nowhere. Nobody was really dangerous, and we just did what we did in the beginning. And yeah, we scored two really good goals.”

For the first, Joel took a break from defending to deliver a fine first-time cross from Yankuba Minteh’s pass to assist Georginio’s equaliser. He revealed that he has tried to copy the way a certain Liverpool right back produces similar results.

“We trained on this,” he said. “And I think it's really difficult to defend those passes back and then straight after, a cross. Trent Alexander Arnold, I was watching him doing it. Obviously, I don't have his kick, but the idea of it is amazing.

“The FA Cup is a big cup, it's the biggest cup in England, maybe the world. So, yeah, we’ll see who we draw and go for it.”