Martin O’Neill believes it is far too early to assess Julen Lopetegui after West Ham’s 3-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday (September 21).
Goals from Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer condemned the Hammers to their third Premier League defeat of the season, leaving them fifteenth in the table and three points above the relegation zone.
Despite only taking over as manager from David Moyes in the summer, Lopetegui has already faced significant criticism for his performance.
During a live interview with talkSPORT on Monday (23 September, 12:09pm), O’Neill mentioned Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Chelsea as the clubs they have already played against. They would have realised when the schedule was released that those matchups would be challenging.
“The main difficulty for West Ham was how easy they were to play past. Chelsea has some good players who may cause difficulties, but they made it seem simple.
“It’s unfair to judge from a distance, but the guys who lost the ball took a long time to get back into position, were not scooping up their players, and just let players get past them.
“Those are worrisome issues for any management at this point. Back to the subject, I wouldn’t jump to conclusions after only four or five games, especially with a manager of his calibre.”
Julen Lopetegui at risk of West Ham United sack?
The Spaniard’s term has not started well, with only one Premier League win in five attempts and a narrow victory over Bournemouth in the EFL Cup.
The fanbase’s criticism of Lopetegui is understandable, particularly over Jean-Clair Todibo’s absence from the starting XI and striker choices.
Unfortunately, Niclas Fullkrug’s injury has left him with only Michail Antonio and Danny Ings as strikers. However, with Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus capable of playing false nines, there is no excuse.
There is no way the Hammers’ management will be considering replacing Lopetegui after dismissing David Moyes so easy, but he must establish himself very soon.
With no European football to worry about, fans are hoping for a top-six finish. Finishing in the second half of the standings would be disastrous for the new management.
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