Who would have thought it would be Tim Sherwood who absolutely nailed it when it came to Julen Lopetegui at West Ham.
Well that’s exactly what happened as he appeared on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday.
The world and its wife has been having its say on West Ham.
Julen Lopetegui was always going to be under the microscope following David Moyes.
The Scot is after all the most successful manager in West Ham’s recent history.
Many of the difficulties Lopetegui has experienced so far can be partially attributed to the end of Moyes’ tenure, though.
The Spaniard was left with the smallest and second oldest squad in the Premier League.
It also says a lot about the state of West Ham’s squad that a complete rebuild was needed in the summer.
Technical director Tim Steidten worked with Lopetegui to bring in nine new players and ship 12 out.
That’s most a full Premier League squad in terms of turnaround.
The rumour mill is already whirring away regarding potential replacements for Lopetegui.
And the blame game has begun.
Sherwood absolutely nails it on Lopetegui at West Ham
Some have taken aim at the head coach, others Steidten and many the owners.
Three different managers have also been linked as potential replacements should Lopetegui fail to turn things around.
Various journalists have made claims of unrest in the dressing room and boardroom regarding the manager.
Pundits and ex-pundits have been having their say on the situation.
And of course there has been no shortage of those reminding West Ham they should have been careful what they wished for over Moyes.
But very few seem to be really understanding the bigger picture.
Just because Lopetegui hasn’t made a success of it thus far, does not mean West Ham were wrong to part ways with Moyes.
Lopetegui was not a universally popular appointment among Hammers fans.
But supporters were hoping to see a better style of football whoever came in.
Former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood is often derided as a pundit for his takes on the game.
But Sherwood will shock you as he absolutely nails it on Lopetegui at West Ham.
‘Huge West Ham right to expect better’ says Sherwood
Speaking on Soccer Saturday Sherwood delivered a brilliant assessment of the situation.
He explains why West Ham fans have been so underwhelmed by the manager and his team.
Sherwood nails it by stating Hammers fans expected far more entertainment and excitement and compared their situation to that of his former club Spurs.
And they certainly don’t expect to see the kind of meek surrender Lopetegui’s team offered up against their biggest Premier League rivals last week.
“West Ham fans wanted a change – they didn’t necessarily want Lopetegui to come in,” Sherwood said.
“I think what’s disappointing, this the biggest game of the season for West Ham fans (at Spurs). The capitulation was so bad after going one up. They just downed tools and Tottenham played well but the new manager has got a lot to do.
“He realises now he’s in the biggest league in the world and he’s under pressure. Because he’s at a huge football club which is so well supported…
“They’ve got good players at West Ham but they seem to not have any idea – in or out of possession – what the manager wants at the moment.
“They’re not seeing any pretty patterns, what the West Ham fans hoped for. The criticism with David Moyes was that he was quite pragmatic and not as adventurous as they would like and cry out for.
“Lopetegui has gone in there and showed us nothing.
‘West Ham fans are bored, Lopetegui is massively underachieving’
“They’ve got Bowen, Kudus, Paqueta, Antonio on the pitch. They’ve got enough offensive players but if you’re going to throw those offensive players on the pitch you’ve got to be able to keep a clean sheet at the back or show some defensive organisation.
“They have none of that at the moment. He is massively underachieving at that football club and he needs to find a result as quickly as possible.
“When you make a change everyone looks for progression. You’re not seeing progression there, though, at the moment. I would have suggested anyone who went in there it would be difficult to see a progression.
“But what the finds cry out for is a different style, get them excited like the team they’ve just played, who is their biggest rival (in the Premier League) – Tottenham. They’re seeing something. It might not be the results of winning every week but they’re further up the division than they are and their fans go to the ground and get entertained. West Ham fans are getting bored.”
Related Posts
