TalkSPORT presenter Andy Goldstein has slammed West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui, claiming he “hasn’t got a clue” and accusing him of wasting the Hammers’ best squad in over 20 years.
Goldstein was speaking to co-host Darren Bent and reacted animatedly after hearing Lopetegui’s excuses for last weekend’s 3-0 Premier League loss to Nottingham Forest.
Cutting across the interview, the radio host said, “He’s making a lot of decisions that suggest he hasn’t got a clue. What he’s doing, I don’t know—he went to a back three over the weekend for the first time.”
To be fair to Lopetegui, what Goldstein said wasn’t entirely accurate. The Spaniard has switched to a back three on numerous occasions this season; however, this was the first time he started the formation with three recognised central defenders—Mavropanos, Todibo, and Kilman.
Goldstein continued, “Antonio was dropped, he [Lopetegui] played Jarrod Bowen up top too. I just feel that every week, as they’re getting worse and worse, he’s saying, ‘Oh, we’ll go three at the back now, and oh, we’ll drop him.’ I mean, they spent about £150 million over the summer, and you could argue this is possibly their best West Ham squad since the Carrick and Defoe era.”
While the talkSPORT host might have a few facts muddled, it’s clear he is far from impressed with the Irons’ head coach, who now heads into this weekend’s fixture with Everton under immense pressure.
