Journalist Jonathan Liew of the Guardian says that West Ham United’s manager, Julen Lopetegui, is under “serious pressure” at the London Stadium. Liew concurs that the Spaniard’s future is greatly dependent on the outcome of the Hammers’ next two Premier League games.
The club invested more than £100 million in nine new signings this summer, and with Lopetegui taking over as manager following his year-long absence from the game following his departure from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the previous summer, supporters were thrilled to usher in a new era at the team with an abundance of attacking talent. That hasn’t gone as planned; after three straight losses at home, a decisive 5-1 thrashing at Liverpool in the League Cup, and some sloppy play, reporters are speculating that the Spaniard has a “serious” risk of losing his job before November.
The pragmatic performances while acquiring such excellent attacking talent in the summer window to really punish teams are what have West Ham supporters most perplexed, not the results that are on offer.
In addition to MohaJarrod Bowen,mmed Kudus, and Lucas Paqueta, other notable signings are Crysencio Summerville, Carlos Soler, Luis Guilherme, and Niclas Fullkrug. This is a formidable front line by top half Premier League standards, but they have hardly been used as they have only scored five goals in five games this season.
In addition, only two of the Hammers’ 450 minutes of play have come from open play, giving them the 14th-highest possession average in the division through five games.
In his five years as manager, David Moyes performed far better without the funding, leading West Ham to three top-half finishes and winning the Europa Conference League. If the Scot had stayed, West Ham might be in a stronger position now, competing for a European spot once more.
