Fair play to West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui. It can’t have been easy keeping his head up and remaining focused with so much pressure on his position. Whilst I rarely read much into the Hammers head coach’s press conferences, I have to admit that he was far more upbeat than I imagined he would be.
Speculation surrounding his job and his two ‘must-win games’ has spread well beyond these shores and into the Spaniard’s homeland. With one of the crucial job-saving fixtures being hosted at St James’ Park on a Monday night, Lopetegui could be forgiven for thinking the world—or at least the fixture list—is conspiring against him.
However, it’s important to remember that in the likely event of West Ham getting something of a pasting in the next two games and the Spaniard losing his job, it won’t be because of what happened against the Toon.
It will have far more to do with the team’s lack of discipline and performances against the likes of Nottingham Forest, as well as embarrassing defeats to London rivals. It’s also worth noting that, contrary to Lopetegui’s observation that his team have been unlucky this season, we’ve actually been incredibly lucky.
Howard Webb has admitted that West Ham’s winner against Manchester United should never have been awarded. Lopetegui also got very lucky against a Fulham team who seemed able to shoot at will against a very porous Irons defence.
He will need luck against Newcastle, though, and probably a lot more besides. With West Ham struggling to score goals, an inability to utilise set-pieces, a shaky defence, and a slow midfield, it’s hard to make the case that the Hammers gaffer is the victim of misfortune.
