Julen Lopetegui fired West Ham United warning ahead of showdown v Tottenham
Darren Bent has warned Julen Lopetegui that West Ham United fans are “ready to go” for him ahead of the clash with Tottenham.
The Hammers make the trip to North London to face Ange Postecoglou’s side on Saturday (19 October) as they look to build on their impressive win over Ipswich Town after the October international break.
Although Lopetegui is not thought to be under any pressure at this moment in time, talkSPORT pundit Bent has suggested the Irons boss is much more in need of a win than Postecoglou and Spurs.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Friday (18 October, 17:12) he said: “Lopetegui needs it more.
“Ange relatively speaking, has got a bit of credit in the bank. He’s got two or three games. West Ham fans are ready to go for Lopetegui. He needs it.
“At least Ange has had a season and Spurs fans know what they’re going to get and he has got a couple of performances where you can go well that’s what Spurs can be.
“With Lopetegui, they’ve been so inconsistent and some of their results have been absolutely appalling. I mean appalling.
“Yes, they beat Ipswich so that will give them confidence but if you look back not that long ago, that result against Chelsea, slammed at home.
“Man City 3-1, ok not a lot you can do about that one. The Crystal Palace away win they weren’t too bad. 5-1 Liverpool in the cup. They’ve had a few maulings this year.
“I think they need it more, I think Spurs are fine.”
Will West Ham sack Julen Lopetegui at the London Stadium?
The Hammers’ win over Ipswich prior to the international break certainly eased a lot of pressure on Lopetegui and the team, but it has to be a springboard for the rest of the season rather than a one-off.
Lopetegui’s side have flattered to deceive for much of the Premier League campaign so far and they cannot afford to do that again after the international break if they genuinely want to challenge in the top half of the table.
Spurs are by no means in excellent form themselves. As Bent suggests, Postecoglou is only a couple of defeats away from facing some questions himself. West Ham simply have to take advantage of the Lilywhites on Saturday.
Hopefully, the Irons will make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League when they travel to North London and any criticism directed towards Lopetegui will be silenced for at least another week at the London Stadium.
In other West Ham news, Thomas Frank has been backed to exit Brentford to move to the London Stadium
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