Credit: BBC's Match of the Day]

Jonathan Burnett

Wed 4 December 2024 21:40, UK

Julen Lopetegui has no way back at West Ham United with “disarray” on the pitch and discontent in the stands, Danny Murphy has said.

Speaking on talkSPORT (4 December, 11:22am), Murphy said the under-pressure Irons boss doesn’t look capable of turning things around following their 3-1 defeat to Leicester City on Tuesday (3 December).

Fans in the King Power Stadium away end were heard clearly calling for the Spaniard to go, and based on what he’s seen this season, Murphy thinks the Hammers players have had enough of Lopetegui.

He said: “The big problem he’s got now is, the fans have already turned – and that’s not because of last night. In isolation, that game was a decent performance.

“I think now the fans have turned, the only way you climb that mountain is by having a really good run, and they don’t look like they’re in a position where they’re going to. I don’t see a real pattern.

“I watched the home games against Chelsea and Arsenal. It wasn’t just the fact they got beat – it was how they got beat.

“Disarray, they were in; tactically, physically, attitude, basics. I think the players look a bit confused.”

West Ham United only going one way under Julen Lopetegui

As pointed out by Murphy, the Hammers’ performance at the King Power Stadium was, in itself, a good performance, with a whopping 31 shots registered on the Leicester goal by the visitors.

However, their defensive frailties, which have been on display on far too many occasions this season, reared their heads again, with Leicester able to fire themselves into a 3-0 lead with little difficulty.

Lopetegui’s side have conceded three goals or more in six of their 14 games so far this season, and for a team which had £130million spent on it last summer, that’s far from good enough.

David Moyes’ final season also saw the Irons ship goals at will, with 74 conceded in total, but that was something Lopetegui was supposed to rectify first and foremost after his appointment in May.

There’s no denying Lopetegui has a strong squad at his disposal, but as the pressure on the 58-year-old continues to rises, the voice of the Hammers fans is being echoed in the London Stadium boardroom [Kaveh Solhekol, 4 December].

In other West Ham news, one Irons loanee could be set for an early return to East London after failing to impress at his new club.

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