West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui is a man under pressure right now, and it is believed the Spaniard is now plotting a shake-up to the starting line-up so he can fix a real problem concerning both him and the Hammers’ backroom staff.
Calls for West Ham to sack Lopetegui after lacklustre start
Following a lacklustre start to the new Premier League season, there have been a few calls for David Sullivan and the Irons hierarchy to part company with Lopetegui already.
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The 58-year-old has guided West Ham to just two wins in the league so far, losing four and drawing two. At one point, the east Londoners went from late August to October without a single victory in all competitions, despite their near-£120 million expenditure on new signings in the summer window.
Pressure on Lopetegui was eased somewhat briefly with a 4-1 win over Ipswich Town recently, but they followed that up with a dismal defeat at Tottenham by the same scoreline. Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has even claimed that West Ham are considering Edin Terzic in the event they sack Lopetegui, so it is something the club are perhaps weighing up if results continue in this manner.
Lopetegui has big shoes to fill after David Moyes guided West Ham to their first major trophy since the 1980s, not to mention successive campaigns in Europe, and the former Spain boss is also attempting to gel together a very new-look squad.
West Ham are looking at signing a striker in January as well, amid Niclas Fullkrug’s injury woes, with Lopetegui forced to rely on the likes of Michail Antonio and Danny Ings to lead his line.
There are many factors at play which haven’t exactly helped Lopetegui, but journalist Dean Jones has still urged West Ham to sack the tactician.
“I’ll be honest, I’ve heard reports that there are a fair few people that are not convinced about Lopetegui, and obviously there was friction recently between him and Mohammed Kudus in the dressing room at half-time,” said Jones.
“So there are other layers here that could affect the situation, but there’s emotion too, that is going to impact how this goes, and we’ll see whether they’re (the West Ham board) on the right side of those feelings once we come out of this break.
“Honestly, I’d probably sack him (Lopetegui). I think they’ve got it wrong. I don’t think this is the right man for them. I think it’s a waste of time. I’d sack him.”
Edson Alvarez set for West Ham recall amid real Lopetegui worry
According to GiveMeSport, another major concern held by Lopetegui and his coaching staff is West Ham’s lack of solidarity and bite in midfield – specifically in front of the back four.
Guido Rodriguez and Tomas Soucek have partnered each other in the centre most often, but the pair haven’t exactly helped West Ham maintain control in midfield. This is seen as a big weakness by Lopetegui and his backroom, meaning they could turn back to Edson Alvarez.
Edson Alvarez
Guido Rodriguez
Tomas Soucek
Short pass completion %
92.7
87.3
84.3
% of dribblers tackled
83.3
44.4
58.3
Shot-creating actions
8
17
18
Tackles
3.33
3.13
2.07
Clearances
1.33
2.39
2.93
Alvarez is set for a recall to West Ham’s starting XI in place of Rodriguez or Soucek as a result, as Lopetegui desperately attempts to turn their fortunes around and halt opponents from dominating them. The Mexico international is in line to start against Man United this weekend as a result, and their clash at the London Stadium represents an opportunity for Alvarez to stake his claim in the side.