Julen Lopetegui underlines key to derby success before West Ham visit Tottenham

Julen Lopetegui has swapped the frying pan of Spain for the fire of versus .

The Irons boss led Sevilla to five wins in seven battles with neighbours Real Betis during his time in Europe’s hottest city – on top of leading into one Classico defeat against .

And while Spurs versus West Ham may not possess the same glamour as two of ’s biggest rivalries, he knows all about the importance today’s fixture holds in the East End.

“Sevilla-Betis is very difficult to [better] because it's a small town with very passionate fans. It's strong,” Lopetegui said. “But we're aware of the repercussions of this match. Always this extra passion is good for the environment, the fans, for the players too and for us. We try to enjoy all of this but you put the focus into your work.

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“We know that the situation is different but we have to put the focus on the more important things – to play well, defend well, to be focused and to be able to be very competitive against Tottenham.”

Lopetegui describes Spurs under Ange Postecoglou as a “complete team” and he is convinced that the Australian has made major improvements.

But with a high defensive line that can be exploited by a West Ham outfit always primed to counterattack, the ex-Spain boss insists the key to success is balancing their aggression.

He added: “Always you have to choose [when] to compete, to choose when you have to go or not. But always this passion has to move you, it is very important in the life of football.

“Also you have to balance the aggression because we have to play, to make decisions. You have to be balanced.

“We have to be able to compete and to compete we have to do a lot of good things. Sometimes you have to be able to make a counter and sometimes to attack too.

“They are a team that doesn’t allow you to attack them because they are aggressive with big intensity so we have to know the kind of match we have in front of us and take good decisions.”

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