Darren Bent delivers Hammers verdict on talkSPORT, – ‘Most West Ham fans believe…’
Darren Bent has echoed the West Ham United supporters’ belief that the club will qualify for European football this season.
The Hammers have endured a torrid start to life under Julen Lopetegui as his side sits fourteenth in the Premier League after only one win in five matches.
Liverpool piled on further misery in the 5-1 loss at Anfield in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday [25 September]. However, Bent shared his take on the Irons live on talkSPORT [26 September, 5:07pm] and believes the club can claim a European finish this term.
He said: “I think most West Ham fans believe that they can do both, which is, with the players they’ve got, play expansive, attractive, football but also finish in the top six.
“I don’t think it’s exclusive, I don’t think you either play a certain way and then you get success by finishing in the top seven. I think with the players they’ve got as they’ve invested well, I think that they can do both.”
West Ham United are a long way away from challenging for Europe
Attractive football is a far cry from what the West Ham supporters have been privy to in East London under Lopetegui.
The Hammers have faced tough opposition in Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Chelsea but, it took Nicholas Jackson only three minutes to open the scoring at the London Stadium in the 3-0 loss last weekend.
A five-point gap has opened up between West Ham and Brighton & Hove Albion in seventh place and, if early season performances are anything to go by, Lopetegui may be facing a scrap towards the bottom end of the table rather than a push for European contention.
The match against Brentford on Saturday [28 September] has become a must-win for the Spaniard, anything less than three points and he will become subject to the David Moyes treatment from the supporters.
Lopetegui was supposed to be an upgrade on his predecessor and bring attractive, attacking football to East London, however, he has taken what is on paper a top side and is producing performances worthy of contention for the drop.
Lose against Brentford, and it may be time to admit that the Hammers got it all wrong when appointing their new boss.
In other West Ham news, David Sullivan makes a sack decision on Julen Lopetegui at the Irons.
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