West Ham United take on Arsenal on Saturday evening, and it seems like Julen Lopetegui is still a man under pressure.
Julen Lopetegui was a hugely relieved man after West Ham beat Newcastle 2-0 on Monday night, but the last thing he and his players need right now is a game against Arsenal.
West Ham have some injury concerns ahead of the game according to Lopetegui, and we are all well aware of how difficult it will be for us to beat the Gunners.
However, we are heading into the Arsenal game full of hope rather than trepidation now.
Monday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle showed us what Lopetegui is trying to achieve – it was a fantastic performance all-round.
The acid test for Lopetegui will be the fixtures between now and Boxing Day though.
Will the West Ham players continue their fine form or return to their old ways?
A new claim has been made suggesting that Lopetegui is still very much under pressure.
New Julen Lopetegui sack claim on eve of West Ham vs Arsenal
The Gunners clash will be a hugely important game for the Hammers.
And Monday’s win over Newcastle certainly hasn’t made Lopetegui bulletproof.
Simon Stone wrote on the BBC website about Lopetegui’s current standing at West Ham.
The journalist has suggested that despite Monday’s win over Newcastle, the Spaniard is still under real pressure at the London Stadium.
And a defeat to Arsenal on Saturday followed by more poor results would see Lopetegui ‘come under fire again’.
That is a very big claim after the mood had seemingly shifted following Monday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United.
Now, the Gunners are a top team – one of the best in Europe, so I’m sure Lopetegui won’t get the sack if we lose to them.
However, the matches against Leicester City, Wolves, Bournemouth Brighton and Southampton will be crucial for the Spaniard.
A return of 10 points from those five games should be expected as a bare minimum.
Anything less than that and Julen Lopetegui will be under severe pressure at West Ham again, with clashes with Liverpool and Manchester City to come next.
Saturday’s clash with Arsenal will be a big opportunity for Lopetegui and his Hammers players to prove that they’ve turned the corner.
However, it will be our results after the game against the Gunners that decide Lopetegui’s future in my opinion.
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