Paul Merson drops ‘Unbelievable’ Julen Lopetegui verdict that will leave West Ham United fans ‘Shocked’
Paul Merson believes West Ham fans are in for a shock if Julen Lopetegui is confirmed as the replacement for David Moyes.
The club confirmed Moyes will leave the club when his contract expires this summer, bringing an end to his four-and-a-half years at the club with Spaniard Lopetegui expected to replace him as head coach.
But when asked about the situation while live on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday (11 May), Merson believes the former Real Madrid boss can only dream of having the same success at the London Stadium as Moyes and said he won’t match his achievements “even if he stays for 25 years”.
“Only time will tell but I think, even the manager who has come in, who has got experience, plays a similar way to David Moyes does, if he stays at that club for 25 years he won’t win as much as David Moyes won,” he said.
“I don’t see it. I know West Ham fans will say they play a certain way of football, this manager won’t be any different. They’ll be shocked. He won’t go out and attack and be open, that style of football that West Ham fans are looking for.
“He’s a bit like for like. He’s one of them, he’ll set up to make sure he doesn’t get beat first and then they’ll go from there.
“He’s been in the game too long. He’s not one of these who is going to come in young, enthusiastic. He’s been round the block, he’ll go ‘wait a minute, I’m playing against Arsenal here, I’m not opening the game up. I’m sitting ten behind the ball and I’m going to counter-attack.’
“For me, they’ve won a trophy. A European trophy. It’s unbelievable.”
Media desperate for Julen Lopetegui to fail at West Ham United
It seems as though everyone that isn’t a Hammers fan or involved at the club in some way is absolutely desperate for them to fail next year because they’ve dared to do something different.
Moyes has done a great job during his time there, and there is no doubting that he will go down as one of the best manager’s in the club’s history after winning a European trophy and achieving European football three seasons in a row.
But that doesn’t take away from the fact that a lot of people feel the team could do even better than that with the players at his disposal and with a more attacking style of play.
Lopetegui and Moyes play completely different types of football, so Merson is totally wrong on that, but he also has won plenty in his career already and could most certainly add to it.
If he is the man to come into the club then it seems he’s going to have his back against the wall immediately such is the reaction to the appointment, so the fans will have to rally behind him and back him even if it doesn’t start perfectly.
In other West Ham news, Tony Cottee believes Moyes will never be fully appreciated at the Hammers.
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