At what point this season will, fans, neutrals and pundits alike, stop making comparisons between Julen Lopetegui and David Moyes?
After Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, West Ham have now lost their opening three home games of a new season for the first time in history. It’s an unwanted record for Lopetegui so early on in his Hammers tenure but, let’s be completely honest, it doesn’t really mean anything, does it?
Regardless, we’ve now got pundits already wagging their fingers as if to say ‘I told you so’ and even some West Ham fans smugly proclaiming they could see this coming a mile off, and that letting Moyes go was a mistake.
At the moment, there are three types of West Ham fans. Firstly, there are those who grew to irrationally dislike Moyes and couldn’t wait to see the back of him. They’re currently the ones either shouting their discontent towards the decision to appoint Lopetegui and not a young, forward thinking manager from an unknown Norwegian 2nd Division outfit, or keeping incredibly quiet, seemingly waiting for results and performances to improve so they can all shout “I told you so” at the other type of supporters, which are the ardent, Moyes fanboys who still yearn for the days of 11 men behind the ball, scrappy late winners away at Burnley or being thrashed by Fulham and Crystal Palace. They’re the ones already calling for Lopetegui to be sacked only five league games into a new season.
And then you have those who will always love David Moyes for his achievements but at the same time were able to acknowledge that it was probably time for change, with the Scot seemingly running out of steam and taking the club as far as his style and managerial abilities were capable of. These fans understand the magnitude of the transition the club is currently in the middle of and are willing to be patient as Lopetegui drills his style and philosophy into his squad.
Meanwhile, you have the neutrals and pundits who were incensed by West Ham’s decision to change managers in the summer as they used Match of the Day highlights each weekend to form their opinion on the club.
“But he got you in Europe three years running and won you a European trophy, what more do you want?!” they would cry. What? The same the European trophy many labelled as ‘Mickey Mouse?’ The European trophy everyone said West Ham should’ve won anyway because of the level of the opposition they had to get past on their route to the final? I mean, it’s a little contradictory, isn’t it?
For the record, West Ham fans hold that Conference League victory dear. It was, for many, a first piece of silverware in a lifetime. The memories will last a lifetime. It was glorious, historic and emotional. But that doesn’t mean the man who made it happen should stay in the job forever. To even suggest winning a trophy as one of the reasons a team should stick with a manager is ludicrous in itself, but to do so while also turning your nose up at the credibility of the trophy he won is ludicrous at a level only really ever achieved by football fans.
Here’s what many are forgetting at this very moment in time. Lopetegui took charge of a side that ended the previous season on a run of just four Premier League wins post-New Year and had just set an unwanted club record of conceding the most goals in a single Premier League season, which now stands at 74.
People will look at the ninth placed finish and wonder why a change was needed, which is fine if you’re not interested in letting facts guide your opinion. In reality, that league finish was purely thanks to such a strong start to the season, when the Hammers won three of their first four games and sat top of the league at the beginning of September.
So Lopetegui has inherited a squad that was desperately low in form and, presumably confidence. He then spent over £150m bringing in eight new outfield players and sold or loaned out nine first-team players. Then, he’s tasked with getting this new look West Ham team out of the habit of not particularly wanting to be in possession and into the habit of passing the ball to each other when they’re in possession. Coaching a squad of footballers what to do in possession when they’ve spent the majority of the last four years without it is no small feat, surely?
Then consider those first three home games of the league season, the ones everyone is using to beat Lopetegui and his new, unwanted record with. The first was against a side that finished in the top four last season. The second came versus the best team on the planet and saw West Ham hit the post twice. The third came against one of the so-called ‘top six’ which has spent over £1bn on new players in the last few years and is showing no signs of stopping.
Incidentally, they are also the only games West Ham have lost this season. Crystal Palace were beaten and yes, while a very late Danny Ings equaliser against Fulham failed to instil much excitement into the fanbase, it wasn’t a defeat and it was a huge improvement on the 5-0 drubbing we got at Craven Cottage last season.
So, really, it’s not as if West Ham’s results haven’t exactly been a real surprise up to this point.
And then you have to consider the international break after just three games. That came immediately after the defeat to Man City, in which West Ham played well and had caused the champions problems, especially in the second half.
I’ve seen some fans use this is another stick to beat Lopetegui with. “What was he doing on the international break?” and “He had two weeks to work on improving things” are the kinds of comments being made on social media. These people conveniently forgetting that during an international break, managers are often left with the squad’s fringe players as all of his best stars go off and play for their countries. So answer me this? How does any of that benefit Lopetegui and his attempts to get this West Ham team on the same page as him? International breaks are a hindrance, not a help, in these situations.
Lastly, there’s a new club captain in place who is, no doubt, trying to get used to all the additional responsibilities that come with that. After all, Jarrod Bowen, has never been a club captain before. He’ll have Mark Noble there for support, but it’s yet another change at the club which requires a bit of time to settle.
In the most recent defeat against Chelsea, West Ham had more possession, more shots, more shots on target, more passes and more corners than the Blues, yet were beaten 3-0 by three counter attack goals. Yes, mistakes were made in defence which contributed, and there were issues with the team’s shape, but the performance wasn’t as shambolic as many hysterical, doomsday West Ham fans will have you believe.
If we’d have won that game, everyone would be raving about the performance. We didn’t, I know, but we simply lost to the better team on the day, whose shape stifled our build up play and whose pace on the break punished our defensive errors.
They were errors, by the way, which were typical of a side still finding its feet in a new system and a new shape. Funny that, isn’t it?
With all the above taken into consideration, I find it absolutely baffling that there are fans calling for Lopetegui to be sacked after just five games. These are the fans Chris Sutton must’ve been referring to when he accused the club’s supporters of being entitled last summer. I cannot find any other explanation, to be honest.
If you were calling for a managerial change, a complete shift in style of play and huge investment in the playing squad, why are you surprised that it hasn’t all clicked yet? If you expected it all to work from the off, you’re entitled. You’re in fantasy land. It’s that simple.
These things take time. They take time to work. To ferment. To mature.
During that time, mistakes will be made. Issues will arise. Creases will need to be ironed out.
But in time, if time is indeed given, then you might just start to see some positives. Things might begin to happen.
So instead of throwing your toys out of the pram, be patient. Can’t see any signs of improvement? Be patient. Can’t see what Lopetegui is trying to do? Be patient. Desperate for things to click and work quickly? Be patient.
It may turn out that Lopetegui isn’t the right man after all, but making that judgement after just five games and with all the other circumstances considered, is absolutely ridiculous.
My Mum used to say to me, “all good things come to those who wait.” Wise words from a wise woman.
It would also be wise to take note.
