Martin Allen slams Julen Lopetegui for what West Ham United have done – ‘Shocking’
Martin Allen has questioned Julen Lopetegui over West Ham United players’ discipline, describing the issue as “shocking”.
Edson Alvarez was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in the Irons’ 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at the City Ground on Saturday (2 November).
Having done the same in the team’s 5-1 drubbing at Liverpool in the EFL Cup in September, it was the second time the Mexico international was given his marching orders this season, while Mohammed Kudus could be banned for as many as six games after his red card incident against Tottenham (TBR Football).
Allen pointed out that discipline is proving to be a weakness for West Ham and questioned Lopetegui over the same in a witty tweet on X (3 November).
“Good morning J, as the Head Coach of West Ham United can you please explain to all of us, your thoughts on 3 red cards from 3 senior players and how and what you’ve done to discipline them? Regards Good Dog”, the former midfielder wrote.
Responding to a fan’s statement about the team lacking discipline, Allen wrote: “Without a shadow of doubt. Shocking discipline comes from the manager and his principles and values. The manager had to take responsibility for this.”
Should West Ham United be worried about discipline and is Julen Lopetegui to blame?
Three red cards in 12 games do not reflect well on West Ham’s discipline and it is something that needs to be addressed.
There is no doubt that Alvarez needs to improve his decision-making. As someone with a significant amount of experience, one would expect the 27-year-old to be heedful.
However, he recklessly picked up two yellow cards in less than 10 minutes on two occasions, which is unacceptable. There is no surprise he has been dubbed a “liability” for the Hammers.
Kudus, on the other hand, could be cut some slack. Although his situation is much more serious as he could be suspended for as many as six games, his red card in the 4-1 loss to Tottenham could be justified as a spur-of-the-moment incident.
Lopetegui has since said that he has had talks with Kudus and is certain that it will not happen again.
The Spaniard, meanwhile, deserves criticism for a lot of West Ham’s problems this season, but it might be too harsh to question him over Alvarez and Kudus’ red cards.
In other West Ham news, Lucas Paqueta could leave the club in a “shock” swap deal for this player.
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