Julen Lopetegui has failed miserably in his role as West Ham United head coach so far.
And the worrying thing is that I can’t see things changing for West Ham under the guidance of Julen Lopetegui anytime soon.
Saturday’s draw with Everton was a real rock bottom for Lopetegui and his players, and Sean Dyche added insult to injury after the game by suggesting that his goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, enjoyed one of his easiest afternoons of the season so far.
It has since been claimed that David Sullivan and Tim Steidten are set for crunch talks this week regarding Lopetegui’s future – although that has been denied by slub insiders.
The London Stadium oozed toxicity before, during and after the game against Everton on Saturday afternoon.
That’s not a good sign, just four months into Lopetegui’s tenure.
My worry is that the players aren’t keen on the Spaniard’s methods either.
And. now some new information has just come to light regarding a potential breakdown in communications between the manager and his players.
Julen Lopetegui is really confusing West Ham players
The Spaniard seems to be completely bereft of ideas right now.
The big concern for me is that things will most probably get even worse immediately after the international break.
And it seems as though one of the main reasons for our struggles this season could be Lopetegui’s failure to succinctly get his message across to his players.
According to a report from The Athletic, Lopetegui gesticulating on the sidelines is doing more harm than good.
It is claimed that his touchline antics are confusing the players, rather than guide them in a positive manner.
I actually agree that that may well be the case.
Are Lopetegui’s ideas and instructions too complicated to implement? Or are the players simply failing to understand the plan due to the way that the Spaniard is delivering it?
The bottom line as far as I’m concerned is the fact that Lopetegui is not the man we need to take us to the next level.
The football is turgid, the results aren’t there, and the players seem to be disillusioned with the gaffer’s footballing philosophy, or lack thereof.
Whenever new managers take over at clubs, it is usually obvious to see what their style and footballing philosophy is.
That’s why the Hammers fans have such a big problem with Lopetegui – there has been no clear identity on display.
I struggle to see how the Spaniard has been in charge of the Hammers for more than four months now, and no improvements have been made as yet.
Why Julen Lopetegui should be sacked
Firstly, our return of just 12 points from our opening 11 games is simply not good enough.
Sure, we’ve had some difficult fixtures, but we’ve had some very winnable games as well – namely Ipswich and Everton at home.
An acceptable total would have been 16 points or more.
Secondly, the players are nowhere near the levels they need to be fitness wise in my opinion.
There has been a worrying lack of energy on display during our games so far this season.
Poor recruitment is to blame for that also. We desperately needed more pace and power in central midfield, but Lopetegui failed to address the lack of athleticism in the engine room.
Finally, I don’t see a marked difference between David Moyes’s playing style and Lopetegui’s.
The Hammers fans were crying out for a big change in that department, and we haven’t been given it.
If West Ham were winning, it would be acceptable, but we’re not, and that’s why Julen Lopetegui needs to go in my opinion.
Nevertheless, Lopetegui should be a man under intense pressure right now – he hasn’t been good enough in his role in charge of West Ham so far.
It’s fair to argue that the Hammers have regressed since Lopetegui was handed the reins, and that is simply unacceptable.
Things aren’t looking good at West Ham right now, and Sean Dyche has just said something that really hammers home just how poor we were against Everton.
Dyche hits West Ham and Julen Lopetegui with ultimate insult
The 0-0 draw against the Toffees on Saturday was one of the worst games of football I’ve seen in quite some time.
It actually looked like two non league sides duking it out at one point.
I feel like Lopetegui’s role at the London Stadium is slowly becoming untenable.
And the 58-year-old Hammers head coach has now received a proper slap to the face from Saturday’s opposing gaffer.
Dyche spoke to reporters after the game, and delivered the ultimate insult to West Ham and Lopetegui, as quoted by Athletic journalist Roshane Thomas.
The Everton boss said, “I don’t think he had that much to do today (Pickford), besides staying focused.“
Whilst those comments are not necessarily true from Dyche – Pickford had to make a save from Danny Ings towards the end of the game after all – he certainly had a point.
The Hammers really didn’t test the Everton goalkeeper enough, especially inside the final 20 minutes when the visitors had clearly settled for a draw.
West Ham were far too passive, and the players didn’t take control of the game enough for me.
Things are looking bleak at the London Stadium right now, and it seems like Lopetegui doesn’t have a clear plan in place regarding how to improve things.
The clash with Everton on Saturday was a must-win as far as I’m concerned, and now we’re looking over our shoulders at the relegation zone.
Julen Lopetegui clearly isn’t the man West Ham need to take us forward, and Dyche’s comments after the game on Saturday really rubbed salt into the Spaniard”s wounds.
