Lopetegui blasted on Match of the Day after what West Ham United boss did v Chelsea
Danny Murphy slammed Julen Lopetegui after making Edson Alvarez man-mark Nicolas Jackson as West Ham lost against Chelsea.
The Hammers had a disappointing afternoon on Saturday (21 September) which saw the Blues take a 3-0 win away from the London Stadium.
Despite an overall disappointing performance, Murphy has picked out one strange tactical decision by the Irons boss while speaking on Match of the Day on 21 September.
He said: “He has to take some responsibility, the manager for this. He didn’t just change system and go three or five at the back, it was the man-to-man marking on Nicolas Jackson, really strange.
“We don’t see it very often and you certainly don’t see it with a midfielder. Alvarez dropped in to play in a back three, he’s got many qualities but pace isn’t one of them.”
Julen Lopetegui slammed for West Ham tactics v Chelsea
The Hammers have continued a relatively poor start to the campaign in East London with defeat against Enzo Maresca’s side.
There was very little positive to say about their performance which saw Chelsea dominate from start to finish and have the better of the chances.
This was another blow to Lopetegui after plenty of optimism coming into the season after an exciting window packed with activity.
The Spaniard appears to have his favourites already and doesn’t want to deviate away from those despite a poor run of form in recent weeks.
This was pointed out at the London Stadium on 21 September once again as the Irons struggled to deal with Jadon Sancho, Cole Palmer and Jackson throughout.
Leaving signings like Jean-Clair Todibo on the bench once again while the back line struggles just seems to be a bizarre decision by the former Real Madrid boss.
It will be interesting to see how he opts to set up his side as the Hammers prepare to face Liverpool in the EFL Cup.
In other West Ham news, one summer transfer target has rubbed salt in the wounds with another positive showing.
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