Henry Winter shares Lopetegui v O’Neil sack verdict at West Ham and Wolves
Henry Winter believes Gary O’Neil deserves more sympathy than Julen Lopetegui before West Ham and Wolves meet for “El Sackico” on Monday.
While O’Neil is certainly under pressure one place above the bottom of the table, the Hammers are currently deciding on Lopetegui’s future following the 3-1 defeat to Leicester City on Tuesday 3 December [John Cross].
It remains to be seen if the Spaniard will be in charge when the two sides meet at the London Stadium on 9 December, and Winter has struggled to understand how he got the job in the first place.
Speaking live via talkSPORT on Thursday (5 December, 7:12am), Winter said: “Well, El Sackico… I’ve got sympathy for Gary O’Neil. He’s a young manager who is making his way in the game.
“But Julen Lopetegui, he just keeps falling into jobs. He had the Spanish job and had to leave by mutual consent. He walked into the Real Madrid job, lost eight out of 16 games and got sacked.
“Looking at the players he’s got and the quality in Bowen, Soler, Kilman, these are good players but he’s not getting the best out of them. Of course, Bowen will always deliver because he’s that kind of player.
“You just think, is he an improvement on David Moyes? The football hasn’t really improved and the results certainly haven’t. So of the two, I’ve got more sympathy for Gary O’Neil. I’d like to see him given a chance.”
West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui to be sacked by former side Wolves?
Wolves fans will feel the last laugh could be theirs if the Hammers are to sack Lopetegui with a defeat at the London Stadium next, especially with the way he left Molineux.
However, it is a possibility that the 58-year-old does not last long enough in East London to face his former side, with David Sullivan ready to replace him already [TBR Football].
Sullivan backed the new head coach during the summer transfer window, with Tim Steidten given free roam in the transfer market, but Lopetegui has shown few signs of positivity so far.
The Hammers are just six points above the relegation zone, and if Wolves were to claim all three points, there would only be a three-point gap between the two sides.
Lopetegui has been skating on thin ice for the last few weeks, with fans making their feelings well known, and the 3-1 defeat at the King Power Stadium could be the final straw in East London.
In other West Ham news, an Amazon Prime pundit was baffled by what one star did in the 3-1 loss v Leicester City.
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