Julen Lopetegui simply needs to beat Everton this weekend if he has any chance of keeping his job. At least that we would expect to be the case.
The Spaniard has won just three games of his first 10 Premier League games in charge at London Stadium, which has led to calls from the fanbase for him to be sacked.
Those calls were significantly amplified after the team’s 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend, when Lopetegui and his players failed to build on the 2-1 victory over Man United the previous week.
A home game against Everton on Saturday represents a great chance to get back on track but given The Toffees’ position in the table – just two points behind the Hammers – and the fact Newcastle and Arsenal are our two next opponents immediately after the international break, there is a certain element of pressure on Lopetegui’s shoulders.
Some believe he should be sacked even if he can guide West Ham to victory this weekend but if he doesn’t it will leave the team in a very difficult position and would surely make it very hard to make a case for keeping patience with him any longer.
But that’s not according to Jim White of talkSPORT, who notoriously has close connections with key figures high up at West Ham.
The radio presenter was discussing Lopetegui’s position on his show this week and shared what someone high up at the club had told him about their stance on Lopetegui’s immediate future in east London, especially in relation to Saturday’s clash with Everton.
White said he was told the following by his source at West Ham: “We hope and expect to do well against Everton.
“If we were to lose five nil against them, he would still, Lopetegui, be the manager on Monday morning. We are people who honour contracts, and we expect the manager to come good. We have to give him time.”
If this is true, it’s quite something.
For me, there’s giving a manager more time because there are clear and obvious signs things are beginning to click and then there’s giving a manager more time because you don’t want to break the contract you signed.
The latter is incredibly risky and leaves the club in danger of getting into a position it could find it hard to get itself out of, such as a relegation battle. Sometimes you just have to accept that you made a mistake, take responsibility for it and then react in a timely manner to rectify the mistake.
Indeed, if Lopetegui does beat Everton and the performance is one that shows progress is being made – and it’s now thanks to a very fortunate VAR decision, such as against Man United – then there’s an argument to give him more time over the international break to keep working on things. But if were to lose 5-0 on Saturday, I struggle to see any reason how he could remain in his position.
Because a 5-0 home defeat to struggling Everton doesn’t just represent a terrible result and likely a terrible performance, it would represent the fact the players are no longer playing for the manager. Put simply, you don’t lose 5-0 in games like this unless there are very, very serious issues that need to be fixed behind the scenes. The sort of issues that patience won’t fix.
So if Jim White is telling the truth in what he’s been told, this is potentially a very worrying development.
In other news, West Ham have already started background checks on three potential Lopetegui alternatives.
