It’s official, Julen Lopetegui will not be in the West Ham dugout for Arsenal clash

Reports prior to the clash with Newcastle suggested that Lopetegui faced the sack if the Hammers lost both games against the Toon and Arsenal respectively.

However, that talk has surely been put to bed, for a while at least, after the sensational 2-0 win over the Magpies at St James’ Park.

Lopetegui has received huge criticism so far this season from fans and pundits alike.

There have even been rumours of discontent behind the scenes at the club.

And now the Spaniard will not be on the touchline for the match against the Gunners at the London Stadium.

Julen Lopetegui will not be in the dugout for Arsenal clash

So the Spaniard will not be able to bark out instructions like he usually does from the sidelines this weekend.

But it’s not because he is set to lose his job.

Lopetegui picked up a yellow card during Monday’s clash with Newcastle – his third of the season – and as a result, he is not allowed to be on the sidelines for the Gunners clash (Yahoo).

Whether that’s a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

West Ham desperately need a result against Arsenal on Saturday, and we all know just how difficult that will be for us to achieve.

The Gunners are a well-oiled machine, and they seem to be back to their best after Saturday’s performance and win against Nottingham Forest.

Julen Lopetegtui will obviously select the team and decide on the tactics for West Ham’s clash with Arsenal, but he won’t be able to directly influence the match from the sidelines.

We shall see how that impacts the game.

I’m hoping that the Hammers will be given a sense of freedom they haven’t otherwise had so far this term.

In truth though, Monday night’s win over Newcastle proved that the West Ham players are fully behind Lopetegui, so maybe they will miss him being within a stone’s throw of them for the Arsenal game.

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