West Ham star was Julen Lopetegui’s only hero, but now he will be Graham Potter’s biggest problem

The West Ham board handled the sacking of Lopetegui very poorly indeed, but it was a decision that had to be made.

In all honesty, Lopetegui should have been moved on more than two months ago – after our 4-1 defeat away at Tottenham would have been the perfect timing.

He was fortunate to remain at the club as long as he did.

Potter now has so much work on his hands, if he is to get us back fighting for the top seven or eight places in the Premier League.

And one issue he faces in particular could really hold us back.

Julen Lopetegui’s hero could be Graham Potter’s biggest problem

Lopetegui didn’t help to improve many players during his time at the London Stadium, if any at all.

And sadly for him, hardly any actually put in the effort for him.

However, the Spaniard did have one hero who saved him on more than one occasion, quite literally.

After our 4-1 defeat to Tottenham in October, Lopetegui brought Lukasz Fabianski into the team after Alphonse Areola‘s shocking run of form.

And bringing the 39-year-old into the team proved to be arguably the only truly inspired decision Lopetegui made during his Hammers tenure.

Fabianski has been absolutely brilliant for West Ham this season, or at least up until he suffered a head injury during our win over Southampton on Boxing Day.

He is cool, calm and composed when claiming balls inside his penalty area and is a really strong communicator at the back.

However, he doesn’t possess the full package, and one area where he’s really lacking means he’s not conducive with the style of football Graham Potter likes to play.

Fabianski is terrible with the ball at his feet and his distribution is actually embarrassing at times.

43% of Fab’s passes this season have been launched over the halfway line (FBREF), and that kind of statistic does not bode well for his hopes of playing in Potter’s system.

The former Poland international’s lack of technical ability will undoubtedly be a big problem for Potter, if he decides to stick with him between the sticks.

Now, Alphonse Areola is obviously at the club as well, but let’s all be honest with ourselves here, the Frenchman’s ability with the ball at his feet is just as bad as Fabianski’s, if not worse.

If the Hammers are to move on to a new level, the addition of a top-class goalkeeper who is comfortable with the ball at his feet will be an absolute necessity.

Lukasz Fabianski was the only hero Julen Lopetegui had at West Ham, but he will now give Graham Potter a real headache due to his limited passing ability.

Related Topics