West Ham go to Nottingham Forest this weekend and Julen Lopetegui is reportedly going to make three major changes.
However, there may be a big problem after footage released by West Ham.
The Hammers visit Nottingham Forest looking for back-to-back wins for only the second time in 2024.
That tells you how poor West Ham have been both before and since Julen Lopetegui took charge.
By contrast Nottingham Forest are flying.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side sit seventh in the Premier League table at the quarter-way stage.
Forest have lost just once in nine league games so far and are looking for a third straight win.
So it will not be easy for West Ham, who got a much-needed albeit very fortuitous win over Man United last time out.
The Hammers were so bad in the first half against the Red Devils, the game should have been done and dusted.
That was not lost on Lopetegui, fans or the owners after the late 2-1 win.
‘Ruthless’ Lopetegui making three major West Ham changes
Big improvements will need to be made if West Ham want to get anything at Nottingham Forest.
Supporters want to see more convincing performances from their side.
Several players put in shocking first half displays against Man United.
Now sources claim ‘ruthless’ Lopetegui is making three major West Ham changes for Forest but there’s a big problem.
The first involves Lucas Paqueta.
The Brazilian has been not so magnifico for West Ham in 2024.
That continued against Man United and he was ruthlessly hooked at half-time.
It is bad news for Paqueta that the Hammers were so much better in the second half.
Instead of being West Ham’s problem solver, Paqueta has become Lopetegui’s biggest problem in many ways.
Big problem for one West Ham change at Forest
Now according to Give Me Sport sources, Lopetegui is going to drop West Ham’s record £51m signing for the Nottingham Forest clash.
That will raise eyebrows given he is a big name – not to mention Paqueta is the club’s highest paid player ever on £150k per week.
The report claims Lopetegui grew tired of giving his players second chances and has decided to take a more ruthless approach to managing the team, with Paqueta to pay the price.
Paqueta will be on the bench at the City Ground with Tomas Soucek expected to start instead.
Another player who will lose his place – according to the sources – is Carlos Soler.
The lightweight Spaniard stuck out like a sore thumb against Man United for his ineffectiveness.
He clearly needs more time to adapt to English football. But the jury remains very much out.
That means Crysencio Summerville will now finally come into the starting XI for the Nottingham Forest clash after his brilliant man of the match performance coming on as a substitute last time out.
Paqueta and Soler out but Todibo a Hammers worry
The third change the report claims is on the cards is Lopetegui bringing defender Jean-Clair Todibo back into the starting line-up.
Todibo was on the bench against Man United – reportedly as an injury precaution.
It’s claimed Lopetegui is now fully convinced by Todibo and he will start the Forest game.
There might be a big issue with that, though.
West Ham have released footage from training 48 hours out from the game.
And Todibo is nowhere to be seen.
Given the talk of the injury precaution against Man United, that’s a real worry.
Based on the claims being made and Todibo’s absence, here’s how West Ham look likely to line up at the City Ground:
Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo or Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson, Soucek, Alvarez, Rodriguez, Summerville, Bowen, Antonio.
One thing to note in that line-up is that it is seriously lacking in guile and creativity in the middle of the park.
Time will tell whether the report’s sources are credible.
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