‘Judge me in May’ – Julen Lopetegui defiant amid West Ham pressure

Julen Lopetegui has defiantly claimed he can only be judged at the end of the season amid growing concerns as to whether he is the right head coach to lead West Ham United.

The 58-year-old has endured a difficult start to the campaign with West Ham losing three consecutive home games in the league for the first time in their 129-year history and unrest among the fans.

Despite a summer of heavy spending in the transfer market they have also exited the Carabao Cup, losing 5-1 away at Liverpool in midweek, with Lopetegui under growing pressure ahead of Saturday’s Premier League fixture away to Brentford.

Asked whether he had, so far, lived up to expectation after succeeding David Moyes, Lopetegui said: “I think the Premier League has 38 matches and we talk in May.”

However there is growing concern at West Ham following the disappointing start to the campaign with sources close to the club having told Telegraph Sport that the two games before the international break are “huge”. West Ham are at home against newly promoted Ipswich Town next week and need to win at least one of their two games otherwise the attention will shift even more strongly on to Lopetegui and whether he will prove to be a success.

The Spaniard is not under any “imminent pressure”, according to sources, but that could quickly change unless results and performances improve while there have been suggestions that he is struggling to get his methods across to the squad.

There is concern that – as yet – Lopetegui has not been able to field a settled side following a big summer of upheaval as he replaced Moyes and nine new players were signed which also raised expectations.

“You can judge all you want. I am the coach,” Lopetegui said when asked whether he cannot be assessed until he gets players fit and his team gels after nine signings in the transfer window.

“But it’s true, I repeat, we are just starting the Premier League. I can give you lots of examples and we have to develop our way. No, I am not a coach who likes to talk about excuses. No. The more important thing is that we are able to increase the level of the team and we are able to win matches. It’s about this. And for sure there are injuries, as all the teams have. So, there are no excuses about injuries.”

Lopetegui admitted that the scorelines against Chelsea last weekend – losing 3-0 at the London Stadium – and another heavy defeat by Liverpool “is a bad picture for all of us,” adding: “I ensure at the end of the season we will be in a much better position.”

Poor run of form stretches back

There are undoubtedly mitigating factors to the difficult start – and not least because West Ham have endured a poor run of results which stretches back to the start of this year.

It has been pointed out that although West Ham finished ninth they only won five of their 25 matches in all competitions since January. Their single victory in their last eight fixtures was against Luton Town and only they and the other two relegated clubs conceded more than the 74 goals against West Ham last season.

The poor form meant that, whether Moyes stayed or went, West Ham were determined to have a significant upheaval of their squad which may have won the Europa Conference League – the club’s first trophy in 43 years – in the previous campaign but also finished 14th in the league. The malaise stretches back some time.

Into this has been propelled Lopetegui who arrived for Thursday’s press conference, just hours after the chastening 5-1 Carabao Cup defeat away to Liverpool, on crutches having damaged his calf during the tie when he jumped in the air and landed awkwardly after Crysencio Summerville missed a chance.

Lopetegui was in such discomfort that he was unable to fly back to London with the squad and had to be driven – having a scan on Thursday morning amid unfounded fears he may even have broken his ankle.

It is hardly the most sophisticated comment to therefore say that it is not just Lopetegui who is limping at present. West Ham have suffered three consecutive home losses for the first time in the club’s 129-year history, have taken just four points so far, are out of the Carabao Cup and were booed off after the crushing defeat to Chelsea.

“We know we have to improve,” Lopetegui said. “We are just starting. The demand is high. The Premier League is going to be long for all of us and these players are going to improve. I am sure of this. It’s true we need one win and we want to win the next match.”

New-look side lack an identity post-Moyes era

Understandably, the mood and patience of the fans has also been affected by increased season-ticket prices and the withdrawal of some concessions for disabled fans, Under-21s and Under-18s with some forced to move, splitting up families and friends. That has nothing to do with Lopetegui but has not helped him.

West Ham’s losses have all come to teams who are currently in the top five but their net spend in the summer was the sixth highest in Europe and it is the manner of those defeats that has caused such consternation. Only for half of the 3-1 loss to Manchester City could West Ham be said to have ‘had a go’.

After Moyes, West Ham fans expected a change in style with more expansive football. But is Lopetegui – at 58 just three years younger than Moyes – the coach to deliver that? After all, in Seville, Lopetegui was known as ‘Amara-tegui’ – a nickname that mixed Spanish and Italian but was certainly not a compliment. It basically equated to the belief that Lopetegui was primarily a defensively-minded coach who ‘parked the bus’, to borrow that famous phrase coined by Jose Mourinho.

There has even been some conjecture this week as to who at West Ham drove the appointment of Lopetegui and, in particular, the role played by technical director Tim Steidten who is front and centre as to what is happening at the club. Interestingly, because he and Moyes had clashed partly over Steidten’s desire for a higher-profile name, the German gave an interview to TNT Sports ahead of the Chelsea game.

Spaniard was not club’s first choice

Although his first choice was understood to be Ruben Amorim, that was always unrealistic. The Sporting coach flew over in April to meet West Ham chairman David Sullivan but later admitted it was a mistake and apologised for being “disrespectful” in speaking to another club.

In truth the €15 million (£12.5million) euro release clause in the 39-year-old’s contract always made it unlikely – West Ham would not pay that – and Amorim would probably only leave for a Champions League club.

When it quickly became apparent that Amorim was impossible, the decision-makers at West Ham, including Steidten, all agreed on Lopetegui. It should also be remembered, of course, that West Ham was not Lopetegui’s first-choice. He had hoped to get the AC Milan job, succeeding Stefano Pioli, but the Italian club did not proceed amid fan protests and the hashtag ‘Nopetegui’ going viral on social media. The supporters objected to Lopetegui’s style of play.

At West Ham, Lopetegui accepted the role of ‘head coach’ rather than manager but he has certainly exerted an influence on signings. Max Kilman, who he managed at Wolverhampton Wanderers, was his at £40 million as was Guido Rodriguez, a free transfer from Real Betis and both have started every league game. However Guido, who Lopetegui wanted to sign at Wolves, has so far been a major disappointment and was substituted after just 38 minutes against Chelsea.

Lopetegui wanted Villa’s Duran

Lopetegui wanted Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran to be his new centre-forward but when that deal could not be landed he accepted Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund – for £27 million – even though the 31-year-old German is a very different striker.

Unfortunately, Fullkrug was injured, ironically also suffering a calf problem, playing for his country and is now not expected to be back until after the international break. Similarly another big signing, Jean-Clair Todibo – who started against Liverpool – has lacked match sharpness while 18-year-old Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme was signed for £20 million but is yet to make the match-day squad.

There is sympathy at West Ham towards Lopetegui who, partly because of injuries and lack of availability and time, has not yet been able to implement his style. But there is a desire for him to quickly find out what his best team is and play it regularly while there were murmurings after his curious tactics against Chelsea when he played five-at-the-back including midfielder Edison Alvarez, hardly the quickest, appearing to mark the rapid Nicolas Jackson – who then scored twice. West Ham have now conceded 12 goals in their last four games.

While being demanding, Sullivan and the West Ham board do not have a history of being trigger-happy with their managers and like to assess at the end of a campaign. But that patience may be tested if Lopetegui does not get the team firing soon.

There is another concerning factor – possibly even a greater one – and that is the poor form of key, established players: namely the new captain Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta who, it is said, is playing like a man with something on his mind i.e. the Football Association charges for allegedly breaching betting rules.

Lopetegui praised the Brazilian international’s “good mentality” and focus but, in truth, he is not playing like that. It is just another problem for the new head coach to deal with although the harsh reality is that he desperately needs a win, more than anything, to head off an impending crisis.