West Ham fans already fed up with manager Julen Lopetegui: "We’re in a relegation scrap"
West Ham fans appear to already be at their wits’ end with new manager Julen Lopetegui.
The Spaniard took charge of the Hammers over the summer after David Moyes was sacked by upper management at the end of the 2023/24 season. Lopetegui, who played for the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona during his days as a player, came with high expectations from fans after the club had enjoyed a stellar Premier League season.
These hopes then skyrocketed when Lopetegui lured the likes of Niklas Fullkrug, Jean-Clair Todibo and PSG midfielder Carlos Soler to London during the summer transfer window. In fact, many were touting West Ham as being a potential threat to the big six clubs in the league.
But the start of the season has been the polar opposite of what West Ham fans were expecting; just one win in the first five Premier League games leaves the Hammers 14th, and last night’s (September 25) 5-1 thrashing in the Carabao Cup courtesy of Liverpool has already been the final straw for some.
Fans have questioned both Lopetegui’s style of play and his attitude on the touchline - with one anecdote from the Carabao Cup portraying him in a particularly negative light. Posting on X, @MaccaLiv19 said: “Sat behind the dugouts tonight. That Lopetegui is hilarious - called the fourth official a m*********er for 80 mins then pulled his calf and couldn’t get up.”
Hammers fan @lukejessop16 tweeted: “We’re in a relegation scrap this season. Never been more convinced. Lopetegui was a f****** shambles of an appointment.” @Jones88bones added: “Getting rid of David Moyes and replacing him with a manager who failed miserably at Wolves has to be up there with one of the worst appointments ever in Prem. If Lopetegui was English, he would never have got the job, he got it because they thought it was glamorous.”
Commenting on a post from Transfermarkt, @Lakkmal said: “They disrupted the progress just when Moyes was making some good progress; the current West Ham team is playing like amateurs, struggling to attack, struggling to defend, holes everywhere.
“They're gonna have a hard time with a relegation battle this season for sure.”