Julen Lopetegui
West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui [Credit: Imago]
Josh Edwards
Wed 4 December 2024 7:10, UK
Kevin Nolan hit out at the decision by Julen Lopetegui to substitute Danny Ings at halftime and move Jarrod Bowen as West Ham lost 3-1 against Leicester.
The pressure is ramping up on Lopetegui after the crushing defeat at the King Power Stadium on 3 December, as the Irons hover above the relegation zone.
The Irons found themselves 1-0 down at halftime and Lopetegui decided to move Bowen into a central role, replacing Ings with Crysencio Summerville, leaving Nolan perplexed.
Speaking on Amazon Prime [3 December, 22:45], Nolan said: “I thought it was a strange decision.
“Jarrod was the one creating, and getting opportunities down the right, so to put him down the middle in the second half was a strange one. Antonio for Ings in a straight swap, he got that one wrong for me.”
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A 2-0 victory against Newcastle on 25 November was a small indication that the Irons had turned a corner under the Spaniard. A resolute performance in which they took their chances when they arrived.
However, in hindsight, that victory looks nothing less than a fluke with a 5-2 hammering at the hands of Arsenal followed by Tuesday’s embarrassment at Leicester.
Once again, the Irons looked devoid of any ideas all over the pitch and lacked any structure to their play against the Foxes.
Having failed to also beat Everton in November, the Leicester encounter was another shameful case of dropped points against sides that in reality, West Ham should have more than enough to see off.
Julen Lopetegui
West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui
It seems only a matter of time before Lopetegui faces the boot with what has been a dismal campaign for the Hammers so far and the longer they take to make the decision, the worse their chances of achieving any form of success become.
If Lopetegui somehow remains in charge after back-to-back embarrassments, a defeat against his former club Wolves on 9 December would surely be the final straw.
In other West Ham news, Andy Townsend was stunned by what Mohammed Kudus did against Leicester.
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