Julen Lopetegui message to West Ham United players emerge live from London Stadium
Anton Ferdinand has shared that Julen Lopetegui will axe any West Ham United player who fails to follow his instructions live on TNT Sports.
The Hammers crashed to a 3-0 defeat against Chelsea on Saturday [21 September] with the Spaniard already coming under immense pressure at the London Stadium.
Ferdinand appeared on TNT Sports live coverage of the match, and he shared what he saw from Lopetegui up close over the summer.
He said: “I was lucky enough to be involved in the tour in Tampa and Jacksonville [USA] in the summer, so I was quite close to it and the message he’s got for the players is very, very clear and concise.
“I think as players, we want that and he’s very much so ‘if you’re not doing what I ask of you, you won’t play’ and I think that’s a very good thing.
Julen Lopetegui shows ruthless streak in West Ham United XI
The Spaniard finally rang in the changes in East London in his confirmed Hammers XI and pulled the trigger on Michail Antonio, dropping the forward after four consecutive starts and no goal contributions.
Danny Ings rescued a share of the spoils last weekend in the 1-1 draw with Fulham and despite scoring in every match so far this season, West Ham have been unable to deliver the killing blow in their outings under Lopetegui.
Whatever message Lopetegui had for his players ahead of the clash against Chelsea made little to no difference as the visitors embarrassed the Hammers on home soil and provided yet another blow to their European aspirations.
Lopetegui has stuck to his guns with his team selections with the Hammers and Ferdinand’s revelation of his so-called ruthless approach, suggests that the players more receiving of the Spaniard’s methods have managed one win in the league this season and is a worrying concern.
The football on display in East London is not too dissimilar from that of his predecessor David Moyes with early signs indicating that West Ham may have taken a sideways step in their appointment [Football Daily Podcast].
It is still early days for the 58-year-old at the Irons and with much more football left to be played but those within West Ham may now be questioning whether their decision to hire Lopetegui was the right choice.
In other West Ham news, David Moyes has been backed to spill hot tea ahead of West Ham United v Chelsea.
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