Julen Lopetegui is once again facing a barrage of criticism and questions over his future at West Ham after a 4-1 defeat at Spurs.
What a difference an international break can make in the wonderful world of West Ham United.
Before the October break the Hammers won 4-1.
Many felt it was lift off for the Julen Lopetegui era at West Ham.
It has just proved to be a false dawn against a side likely destined for relegation, though.
Fast forward two weeks and the Hammers lost by the same scoreline to their fiercest Premier League rivals.
Despite taking a 1-0 lead and going in at half-time at 1-1, West Ham collapsed in the second half.
The manner in which the Hammers fell apart has alarmed fans.
The pathetic display has once again piled the pressure back on Lopetegui.
Especially as it’s not the first time in his brief West Ham career so far that his side have been hammered out of sight.
Lopetegui ‘isn’t a Spanish Moyes, he’s worse’ says pundit
The 57-year-old has deeply concerning collapses against Chelsea and Liverpool raising questions about whether he is the right man for the job too.
The top spokesman close to the club’s owners responded to Hammers News about the defeat overnight.
Most frustrating of all so far for West Ham fans is a lack of any discernible style, identity, philosophy or improvement from the risk averse David Moyes era.
West Ham are just as bad defensively as they had been under Moyes.
And they look less of a threat up front, still reliant on Michail Antonio – who has scored once in eight games this season and offered up terrible numbers last year too.
There were long spells against Tottenham where the Hammers had no clear pattern of play. There were long balls and long goal kicks.
Squint and it looked like a Moyes setup.
READ MORE: Ratings vs Spurs – Pathetic Paqueta and awful Areola take shine off 8/10 quartet
Naïve West Ham boss slammed by Cundy
Some of the Hammers faithful have actually compared their new head coach to their former one.
But West Ham boss Lopetegui ‘isn’t a Spanish Moyes’ says one talkSPORT pundit.
Because he’s worse says Jason Cundy.
Lopetegui’s 451 setup is more defensive than Moyes says Cundy. And he says the West Ham manager is tactically naïve, saying he started chasing the game and leaving the team totally exposed.
“The problem West Ham have got, it’s all well and good setting up under Lopetegui when you take a 1-0 lead,” Cundy said on talkSPORT.
Cundy: ‘West Ham now more defensive than under Moyes’
“If they equalise (then what?). You look at how high up the pitch they were, they were caught out of shape. Once they went 2-1 down, if you’re trailing and playing a game and you’re set up as a 4-5-1, which is pretty much what they were, then when you start having to change your tactics, personnel, the way you approach the game, you then leave yourself wide open.
“You’ve gone into it with one mindset and with 15 minutes of the second half you’re now chasing the game. When it went 3-1, West Ham were cooked.
“The way they set up under Lopetegui, it is, I think, more defensive than it was under David Moyes.”
West Ham now have just three games before the November international break.
He will need some wins to avoid a cacophony of noise around his position going into that two-week period.
And he will have to make do without West Ham’s best player – Mohammed Kudus – after his sending off.
Although former top ref Mike Dean believes Kudus will be banned for six games by the FA.
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