West Ham have been a tough watch under Julen Lopetegui and now the pressure is on to beat woeful Southampton.
The Hammers go to Southampton off the back of a very unconvincing draw with Brighton.
The Seagulls could and should have beaten West Ham out of sight at the weekend.
That has become an all too familiar theme under Julen Lopetegui.
West Ham were also extremely fortunate to beat Palace, Man United and Wolves.
Draws with Fulham and Bournemouth were fortunate too.
West Ham fans are settling down to enjoy Christmas before the Boxing Day trip to Southampton.
Lopetegui has been told by the owners that nothing but a West Ham win will do.
Lose to the rock bottom Saints and Lopetegui will be sacked.
The trouble for West Ham, though, is Southampton have a new manager taking charge of his first game in the shape of Ivan Juric.
And intense Croatian Juric has already declared his side can beat the Hammers.
West Ham compared to a Christmas dinner under Lopetegui
West Ham fans have become massively frustrated by their team under Lopetegui.
The Hammers are a boring watch and the manager’s tactics and team selections continue to frustrate and baffle supporters.
With just five wins from 17 Premier League games, the owners have given Lopetegui a fair chance.
But the team is not showing anything which suggests they are building towards an identity or that they will be capable of competing for Europe.
The life is being sucked out of a bored fanbase and many feel like the team is going nowhere fast.
Lopetegui should be getting much more out of his expensively assembled squad.
The Hammers should be a much better and more exciting team to watch.
Now as fans sit down to tuck into their Christmas dinner, a journalist has compared West Ham to one.
And it sums up how fans feel about the team under Lopetegui.
Hammers panned by journalist and it sums up how fans feel
Daily Mail reporter James Sharpe was reporting on West Ham’s underwhelming performance in the 1-1 draw with Brighton.
He compared the Hammers to a Christmas dinner, for all the wrong reasons.
“You know that feeling you get on Christmas Day when you’ve just eaten your massive dinner and, weighed down with roast potatoes and parsnips, you just sit in a daze and it feels like your eyes are glazing over while the world passes you by?” Sharpe said.
“Well, that’s how this game makes you feel.
“Just without the joy and potatoes.”
Sharpe is absolutely spot on with his very apt description.
West Ham’s owners have insisted the team must start playing better.
Most will know that exact feeling today.
But we’re lucky to have some joy and potatoes today.
Whether West Ham can provide any on Boxing Day remains to be seen.
With Graham Potter on standby for leftovers, the heat is on Lopetegui at Southampton.
Only a win will do and preferably a convincing one if the Spaniard wants to start changing hearts and minds in east London.
Serve up another stodgy, unappetising mish-mash of dry football and the writing could be on the wall.
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