Nobody needs a win more than Julen Lopetegui when West Ham go to Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.
Make no mistake Julen Lopetegui – rightly or wrongly – is a man under pressure at West Ham.
The Hammers have won just two of their seven games under the Spaniard so far.
West Ham have lost their first three league games of a season for the first time ever.
Lopetegui’s side have conceded more shots than any other team so far – the worst figures since Sheffield United last season.
As an attacking force West Ham have a plethora of exciting players. Yet they have created just seven big chances in the Premier League so far – the second fewest in the top flight.
The media have been out to get Lopetegui from the start after the club’s decision to part company with David Moyes.
Fans have already jeered the manager’s substitutions and the owners have made it clear things need to improve.
Under pressure Lopetegui desperate for West Ham win
In mitigation West Ham have had an unkind fixture list in some ways.
Liverpool away in the cup on a Wednesday night under the lights at Anfield being the latest example.
The Hammers actually looked a lot better in that game for an hour or so.
But the pathetic collapse that saw Liverpool run out 5-1 winners has alarm bells ringing in the wake of an equally dismal 3-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend.
West Ham go to a Brentford side suffering an injury crisis and Lopetegui – bar possibly Niclas Fullkrug – has a full squad to choose from.
So the pressure really is on the Hammers to get a win in west London.
For Lopetegui’s sake they need to. There are already rumours circulating that failure to get wins against the Bees and Ipswich could leave him in deep water at West Ham already.
The Hammers won’t beat Brentford, though.
That’s according to two leading pundits ahead of the London derby.
Shearer and Sutton paint grim picture for Lopetegui at West Ham
Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton have painted a grim picture for Lopetegui at West Ham.
Shearer believes the best West Ham can hope for is a score draw. And he says there will be ‘noise already’ over his job if Lopetegui loses this one.
“Two disappointing results for both Brentford and West Ham last weekend,” Shearer said in the Metro.
“I don’t think anyone really expected Brentford to get anything. If West Ham lose this you’ll hear the noise already there and Brentford are strong at home and very direct so I’ll go for a score draw.”
Sutton thinks West Ham are going to lose 2-1 at Brentford.
And he has completely dismantled Lopetegui on the evidence of what he’s witnessed so far from the Hammers.
“Julen Lopetegui needs a result and he needs a performance, the West Ham way… whatever that is under him,” Sutton told BBC Sport.
‘Everything is going against Lopetegui’
“Their fans wanted a change, and they got the change… and I think they have expected a much better start than the one they have got.
“On top of the result, what was worrying about last week’s home defeat by Chelsea was how vulnerable the Hammers looked defensively. If they were solid at the back it would give them something to build on until they click up front, but there was not much to build on there.
“West Ham were miles off in that game, and ended up well beaten by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night too. The Reds were very fortunate with how they scored their first goal, but it feels like everything is going against Lopetegui at the moment.
“Brentford are always superbly organised and carry a goal threat. They went ahead against Manchester City and Tottenham in their past two league games and although they ended up losing both, they ran Spurs very close and gave City plenty to think about too.
“Even without the injured Yoane Wissa, the Bees are a well-balanced team – and probably not the kind of opposition that West Ham need or want right now.”
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