Julen Lopetegui not in danger of West Ham sack despite awful start to the season
West Ham United slumped to their second consecutive defeat in the Premier League, as they lost 3-1 to Leicester City on Tuesday night.
The Hammers were hoping to bounce back from the 5-2 thrashing against Arsenal, but they suffered another chastening night.
West Ham made a terrible start to the away game, conceding a goal with merely 98 seconds on the clock.
Jamie Vardy beat the offside trap before slotting home the opener. The Irons responded well and created several scoring chances, but they couldn’t find the equaliser due to Mads Hermansen’s brilliance in goal.
The visitors finally had the ball in the back of the net after the interval, but Tomas Soucek was ruled to have fouled the goalkeeper in the build-up.
Bilal El Khannouss then doubled Leicester’s lead with a composed finish, before Patson Daka added a late third to wrap up an excellent win.
Niclas Fullkrug scored in stoppage-time, but it was too little too late for West Ham.
The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas blasted Lopetegui after the match for failing to unlock his squad’s potential.
He even claimed the Spanish boss should have been sacked after the 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest last month.
Roshane said: “Lopetegui should’ve been sacked after the loss to Forest. The starting XI constantly changes and players are confused by instructions. He was the wrong appointment and nothing will improve. West Ham have too much talent to be struggling like this”.
FT: #LCFC 3-1 #WHUFC. Lopetegui should've been sacked after the loss to Forest. The starting XI constantly changes and players are confused by instructions. He was the wrong appointment and nothing will improve. West Ham have too much talent to be struggling like this.
— Roshane Thomas (@RoshaneSport) December 3, 2024
Many West Ham supporters criticised David Moyes for his negative brand of football.
But now they have been stuck with Lopetegui who has not only failed to implement an attractive style of play but also deliver good results at the club.
The Hammers’ faithful were looking forward to the 2024-25 season after a promising summer transfer window.
But all their excitement has long gone, with the team producing one disappointing result after another.