Julen Lopetegui and his West Ham side managed to record their fifth win of the campaign on Monday, beating Wolves 2-1, climbing to 18 points in the Premier League, just one point behind Manchester United in 13th.
West Ham held more of the ball against Wolves, with 54% possession, as both teams took 19 shots in the game, the Hammers creating one big chance and Wolves creating two.
julen-lopetegui-west-ham-man-united-premier-league
Goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen secured the points for the Hammers, and these two goals could prove to be vital for the future of Lopetegui, whose future seems to be riding on each game.
Why the pressure is on Julen Lopetegui at West Ham
The 58-year-old Spaniard has struggled in his first months at the club, aiming to completely change the identity of the Hammers from a counter-attacking outfit under David Moyes to a more control-based side.
West Ham are averaging 46.9% possession (ranking 13th in this metric in the division), taking 15 shots per game (6th most in the league) and scoring 20 goals in 14 games so far. In comparison to last season under Moyes, the Hammers averaged 40.5% possession (4th lowest), taking 11.8 shots per game (5th fewest) and scoring 60 goals in 38 games.
Despite improvements in key metrics, this has left West Ham defensively open, with their press often being pierced open far too easily. This sees the Hammers 14th in the Premier League after 14 games played, conceding 16 shots per game - the fourth-highest total across the top-flight - and conceding 28 goals.
A loss against Wolves could well have been the end for Lopetegui, but a big performance from a defender Lopetegui continues to show faith in may be the one that saved his job.
The West Ham star who just saved Lopetegui
After a performance back in September by Konstantinos Mavropanos, Tom Rennie claimed the defender was "nowhere near Premier League quality". However, his most recent performance was key to West Ham beating Wolves 2-1, and Lopetegui's faith in the 27-year-old has paid off.
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Mavropanos has made 13 appearances for the Hammers this season, contributing to three cleans, and totaling 908 minutes played. Perhaps fortuitous not to give away a penalty late on, he arguably saved one of his best displays in an Irons shirt for 'El Sackico' on Monday night.
Mavropanos vs Wolves performance
Stat
Minutes
Touches
Accurate Passes
Long Balls
Ground Duels Won
Aerial Duels Won
Clearances
Blocks
Interceptions
Tackles
Stats taken from Sofascore
The 27-year-old won 100% of his ground duels, making three interceptions and two tackles. Mavropanos was key to stopping in-form Matheus Cunha, working in tandem with Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right side of defence in order to nullify the threat of the Brazilian Wolves forward.
Konstantinos Mavropanos and West Ham teammates
But the passing quality was also important in order for the Hammers to control the game (averaging 54% possession as stated above), taking 67 touches, making 45/50 accurate passes, whilst also completing six out of seven long balls attempted.
The recent performances of Mavropanos have kept new signing, Jean-Clair Todibo out of the side, as he partners another new signing Max Kilman in central defence. But Lopetegui will need to see more of the same from the defender if they want to continue to gain points and climb their way up the table.
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West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui is on the brink of being fired after wretched results this season.