Julen Lopetegui makes Konstantinos Mavropanos error – West Ham United confirmed XI v Tottenham
Julen Lopetegui has left Konstantinos Mavropanos out of his West Ham United starting XI for the clash against Tottenham on Saturday (19 October).
The Hammers posted the confirmed lineup on X [19 October], naming an unchanged side from the 4-1 win against Ipswich Town before the international break.
While the Spaniard has opted to stick with the side that recorded his first win at the London Stadium after three consecutive losses, Mavropanos has been exceptional on international duty with Greece and the in-form centre-back should be disappointed to miss out.
West Ham United will need Konstantinos Mavropanos
Lopetegui has opted to go down the safe route in his team selection against Spurs and this decision could ultimately prove to be his downfall.
Mavropanos has been enjoying the form of his life with Greece, with the 26-year-old integral to his nation’s 100 per cent start in the UEFA Nations League and was a pivotal figure in the historic 2-1 win against England at Wembley.
Jean Clair-Todibo has seemingly displaced the Greek in the pecking order in East London and while the Frenchman looks more and more promising as he adapts to the Premier League, Max Kilman has no excuses for his underwhelming start to his Hammers career.
The 27-year-old has underperformed far below the standard expected of him considering the £40million outlay the Irons coughed up to secure his signature from Wolves in the summer.
Lopetegui had the opportunity to reward a player in form, and he has let the defender down massively with his decision.
With Son Heung-min returning to the side for the hosts, the Hammers backline will have their work cut out for them in North London against a high-level Premier League attack.
It would be a shame for the Irons to be dismantled at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium because of the manager’s error, but only time will tell whether Lopetegui made the right choice.
In other West Ham news, Alan Shearer has predicted the winner of the Tottenham v West Ham United clash.
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