Julen Lopetegui surely kidding himself as West Ham United admission shared
Julen Lopetegui is one of the Premier League’s main manager’s to have found themselves under severe scrutiny due to his poor performance as West Ham United manager.
Since the start of the season, the Spaniard has been criticised on all fronts with his tactical choices and team selection the areas of his management that have seemed to take the most hits.
The Hammers currently sit 14th in the Premier League and while they may be six points away from the relegation zone, they’re still well within the battle.
West Ham’s next game is against Wolves in the Premier League with some dubbing the clash as “El Sackico” due to the poor performance of both managers.
Despite the Hammers’ evident underperformance this season, according to Guillem Balague, Lopetegui is still “convinced” that he can turn things around at the London Stadium.
“West Ham played really well against Newcastle and Leicester, but they seem to lack the confidence,” Balague said on the Football Daily Podcast (6 December).
“That’s not impossible to correct. The reality is is that they are six points away from relegation and five points away from Spurs.
“It’s not a winning side right now and many things are changing. You expect that when [Niklas] Fullkrug gets fitter and with [Mohammed] Kudus and [Edson] Alvarez playing better, the team will grow.
“I do see him tired, stressed and not being himself because the team has not clicked yet. But he is convinced that he can turn things around.”
Julen Lopetegui and West Ham United have to win Wolves on Monday
If it hasn’t already been made clear, there is a lot resting on the 9 December clash between Wolves and the Hammers.
Gary O’Neil and Lopetegui both find themselves in similar positions and if one team comes away from the London Stadium with all three points, it’s highly likely that the other will lose their job.
Several names have already been linked with a move to West Ham such as Michael Carrick and Edin Terzic and while nothing is yet set in stone, it feels like it won’t be long before the Spaniard is relieved of his duties.
The Hammers spent big in summer and while some arrivals such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka have hit the ground running, others haven’t quite been up to scratch which has left West Ham in a bit of a pickle.
Only time will tell what the future holds but if both managers have a job by Tuesday morning, it’ll be a massive shock.
But, if Balague is right, and Lopetegui is convinced he can turn things around at the London Stadium, you can’t help but feel he is kidding himself. Right now the inevitable is being delayed.
In other West Ham news, Ian Holloway has sent a six-word message to Michail Antonio after what has happened to him recently.
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