Lopetegui wasting Mohammed Kudus at West Ham United, ‘very underwhelming’
Dan Bardell wasn’t impressed by West Ham at the weekend despite Julen Lopetegui securing his second Premier League win against Ipswich Town.
The Hammers bagged a conclusive 4-1 win against the newly promoted side on 5 October thanks to goals from Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta.
The majority of the goals came off the back of mistakes from the away side with Kalvin Phillips contributing to the opening goal with a misplaced pass.
Sky Sports and talkSPORT journalist Bardell is still underwhelmed by the Spanish head coach despite gaining three points against the Tractor Boys.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Bardell said: “The fans are demanding, and they will need to see more than that one win to trust the process.
“I watched the Ipswich game. I didn’t see many patterns of play, although obviously West Ham punished mistakes which is all they can do.
“Kudus needs freeing up, he’s wasted on the left and on another day Ipswich don’t make those mistakes and take their chances.
“It’s still a very underwhelming start for Julen Loptegui and the club.“
Julen Lopetegui slammed for West Ham start despite Ipswich win
The Irons haven’t looked particularly good all season so far with the former Real Madrid boss coming under constant fire from supporters and beyond.
Complaints against him have eased somewhat thanks to a win against Ipswich where the Hammers ultimately took their chances.
Bowen looked back to his best while Kudus maintained his spot in the starting XI despite being hooked at half-time against Brentford.
Lopetegui has to get the best out of his key players moving forward otherwise he could risk losing his job early on in his London Stadium tenure.
In other West Ham news, Pablo Fornals has shared if he’d play for another English club as a Man Utd example has been raised.
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