Julen Lopetegui shares early West Ham injury news for match v Arsenal
West Ham could be without two or three players for Saturday’s clash with Arsenal Julen Lopetegui has confirmed.
The former Wolves manager has been under heavy pressure but picked up a crucial win against Newcastle on Monday (25 November).
He will hope to carry the momentum from that victory into the match at the London Stadium on Saturday (30 November) but could be without up to three players.
However, when asked in his pre-match press conference [28 November], he confirmed the Hammers had a few issues but refused to name who the affected players were, saying: “We have two or three little problems that we have to assess tomorrow.
Tomorrow we’ll know if they’ll be available for the big challenge against Arsenal. No, [cannot name them] I’m positive I like that all of them can be ready but let’s see.”
Lopetegui feeling the pressure at West Ham?
The fact that the manager refused to name the affected players is bizarre and could suggest that he does not want to give Arsenal an early insight into his team selection.
It could imply that he is feeling the pressure ahead of a crucial match that could decide his fate with the Irons.
The result against Newcastle was a great moment for the Spaniard but it could be fleeting if his side do not pick up more positive results in the near future.
After the Gunners game on Saturday, the Hammers face Leicester City, Wolves, Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton, which is a nice run of games that could see them rise up the Premier League table.
If they can start to move up the table, it would help Lopetegui to ease the pressure and secure his future in the dugout in East London.
A negative result could spell the end of Lopetegui’s tenure, but given the result against the Magpies, he could be given more time regardless.
In other West Ham news, Paul Merson has predicted that Arsenal’s midfield will ‘destroy’ Tomas Soucek.
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