David Moyes is hoping his West Ham players will benefit from the club's front foot approach during lockdown when they return to action against Wolves this afternoon.
The Hammers were one of the first clubs to allow players back to their training ground to do individual work during the shutdown and Moyes spent the time looking to eke out any possible advantage once football was given the green light to return.
Sitting above the bottom three on goal difference alone, West Ham have it all to play for across the final nine games of the season but can welcome back the likes of Ryan Fredericks, Jack Wilshere and Andriy Yarmolenko from injury - and all three are on the bench.
Jeremy Ngakia is a surprise starter at right-back despite the youngster's desire to leave the club at the end of the season, while Jarrod Bowen leads the attack.
While the results may not have shown it, the Hammers had started to pick up their form before the lockdown and were gathering momentum under Moyes. His appointment at the turn of the year left little time to work with the squad between games, something he has been afforded during the suspension.
"We were very encouraged with how the players were looking, we had really got some momentum," he said of their form in February and March. "I only came in between Christmas and January so in many ways it has given me a chance to work more with the players.
"We have tried to be on the front foot at every opportunity to get them in, work with them, hopefully we can benefit from that and we can show it on the pitch. There is more for them to show than they have done recently.
"I looked everywhere for fresh information, knowledge, even dealing with clubs if we had got a player that had tested positive, what was their reaction. I have tried to be ahead of most things.
"I’ve been ready to go for the next stage all the way along so I have done everything I can to be there. We have been preparing to win games, training to win for a long time. We have to show it but we have not been training to keep fit."
West Ham: Fabianski, Ngakia, Rice, Diop, Cresswell, Noble, Soucek, Antonio, Fornals, Felipe Anderson, Bowen
Subs: Balbuena, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Wilshere, Fredericks, Ajeti, Randolph, Johnson, Xande Silva
Wolves: Rui Patricio, Saiss, Coady, Boly, Doherty, Dendoncker, Neves, Joao Moutinho, Jonny, Jimenez, Jota
Subs: Bruno Jordao, Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence, Gibbs-White, Ruddy, Ruben Vinagre, Traore, Kilman, Rasmussen
Referee: Anthony Taylor
