Julen Lopetegui said he was too focused on his team’s 3-1 defeat by Leicester to hear West Ham United supporters chanting: “You’re getting sacked in the morning”.
The message to everyone else from the club’s fans was loud and clear.
“I am a coach, I am not aware of what is around me,” said Lopetegui. “I am only focused on the match. We want to change the situation and I believe in the players. We have to improve, be more effective and consistent. I am sure we will achieve this in the next challenge (against Wolverhampton Wanderers).”
Lopetegui had lost the crowd’s backing long before Tuesday night’s defeat. The boos in home games against Chelsea, Manchester United, Everton and Arsenal proved that. A sense of unravelling pervades West Ham these days. Their seventh league defeat in 14 games does little to support Lopetegui’s hopes of a turnaround. Once again, his passionate pleas post-match fail to chime with the evidence on the pitch. The defeat to Leicester was the seventh time this season West Ham have conceded three goals or more.
The Spaniard is yet to find a solution for their defensive struggles. It is a defence incapable of shaking off opposition forwards, much less their porous title. A midfield that is as unpredictable as the starting XI — and a forward line reliant on captain Jarrod Bowen inspiring a spirited performance. West Ham had 31 shots, ten on target, with the returning Niclas Fullkrug scoring a consolation goal.
But it was another game where Lopetegui rotated his starting XI, dropping Michail Antonio, Crysencio Summerville, Lucas Paqueta and Emerson Palmieri from last Saturday’s loss against Arsenal. Another match that leaves West Ham drifting near the relegation zone. Another match where the lurching turbulence on Lopetegui’s future remains relentless.
He was appointed as David Moyes’ successor in May, signing a two-year deal, with the option of a further. But since the season opener against Aston Villa, there is little evidence to suggest he can preside a rebuild post-Moyes. Lopetegui has only led the team to four wins in 14 league games.
One of those, a 2-0 victory over Newcastle, was considered a marked improvement, but back-to-back losses have presented new wounds for the head coach. He has proven incapable of healing those sores and the consequences may prove severe. Lopetegui has previously retained full support from the board but that should no longer be the case. West Ham failed to beat a team who were winless in their past six games, albeit they were starting again under a new manager in Ruud van Nistelrooy. Lopetegui has mastermined an underwhelming season, struggled to consistently get the best out of the team and his post-match utterances offer little encouragement.
“At the end of the season maybe we will talk in a different way,” he said. “There are a lot of matches in front of us. I believe in these players, the team and I am sure the second half of the season will be much better. But to talk about this are only words so we have to work hard to achieve this.
“Reflection today is not easy, because I think that we deserved much more. We had 31 shots on the opposite goal, many, many chances. Their first goal was key. We have to do better than this. We have to avoid this start of the match, because after this goal they believed more. Normally if you create even fewer chances, you are going to win. We didn’t do it, so we are very frustrated. The players didn’t deserve this.”
Lopetegui calling for improvements is no different to what he said after recent losses to Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Arsenal. Whenever there have been signs of a turning point, West Ham capitulate in the following game. West Ham faced a Leicester side buoyed by the managerial appointment of Van Nistelrooy, something which the visiting supporters also want to benefit from.
Leicester had not won in the league since late October. But of the two teams, they were more clinical. Forward Jamie Vardy scored in 98 seconds. After VAR checks, the forward was adjudged to be onside with Konstantinos Mavropanos trying and failing to play the offside trap.
It was Vardy’s first goal since October. He could have had a second minutes later were it not for Lukasz Fabianski’s save from close range. West Ham have conceded first in three of their last five league games. Lopetegui shook his head in frustration and urged more intensity from the players. Danny Ings, Tomas Soucek and Carlos Soler responded by carving out chances. West Ham ended the half with 20 shots, to Leicester’s three.
Soucek had a goal ruled out past the hour-mark for a foul on goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, while Leicester scored a minute later, through Bilal El Khannous. Defender Conor Coady made a goalline clearance to deny Summerville, but the damage was done before Fullkrug opened his account for West Ham in added time.
“The only thing I’m worried about now is to go to the training session tomorrow and to prepare the players for the next challenge,” said Lopetegui when asked if he feared for his job. “We had a lot of matches. I am sure with this attitude we are going to achieve many more points and be better. Today it is hard to say this. There are days when it is easy and today is not one of those days.”
Lopetegui’s self-belief is admirable but the board may decide they can no longer persist with West Ham’s downward trajectory. Leicester showed the benefits of appointing a new manager and West Ham may well follow their lead.
(Photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
