Sporting Life
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui

Sack race odds: Julen Lopetegui for David Moyes - have West Ham made a mistake?

By Dharnish Iqbal
09:59 · FRI October 04, 2024

Believe it or not, the summer of 2024 wasn't the first time West Ham replaced David Moyes despite the Scot achieving success for the Hammers.

In 2018, West Ham turned to Moyes when they found themselves caught in a relegation dogfight. Arriving just before a crucial period in November, Moyes secured West Ham’s safety before they employed Manuel Pellegrini that summer.

The club then hired the former Everton manager back in December 2019 after the Pellegrini tenure had turned sour as Moyes steered West Ham away from relegation again.

In the three seasons that followed, Moyes guided the club to three appearances in European competitions, losing a Europa League semi-final and winning the Europa Conference League trophy along the way.

Next Premier League Manager to leave (odds via Sky Bet)

  • Erik ten Hag - 1/2
  • Russell Martin - 10/3
  • Gary O'Neil - 8/1
  • Sean Dyche - 12/1
  • Julen Lopetegui - 14/1
  • Steve Cooper - 16/1

Odds correct at 0940 BST on 04/10/24

However, West Ham fans eventually grew tired of Moyes’ pragmatic tactics with his side winning just three times in 2024 and club executives declaring it was time to move on and try something new, making a beeline for Julen Lopetegui while Moyes was yet to finish his final season.

Lopetegui’s side have picked up five points from their first six games and looked devoid of the spark he was employed to bring at West Ham.

Déjà vu?

Where is the attractive football?

The point of hiring the Spaniard was to ambitiously build on the good things Moyes had done. At the moment it feels like West Ham have regressed.

It is still early, though, and West Ham have faced Manchester City, Chelsea and Aston Villa, but it's the manner of the defeats that have been alarming.

They were torn to shreds early on against City and similarly exposed by Chelsea. At least under Moyes, West Ham aimed to be a compact side set up to hit the big teams on the counter, with victory over Arsenal last season a prime example to mind.

The space Lopetegui's side afforded Chelsea in build-up was astounding.

West Ham were repeatedly exposed by Chelsea

Not compact. Not looking more creative or expansive. What were they trying to do?

When Lopetegui came in he said he wanted to create a ‘new shape of football’ it’s hard to figure out what that is at the moment. He strangely dropped Lucas Paqueta against Fulham to move Tomas Soucek into the no 10 position and took off Mohamed Kudus at half time against Brentford.

It's bold and this early into his West Ham career it shows the former Sevilla manager isn't afraid of making big calls, but they are undoubtedly two key players.

More to the point, if West Ham were looking to tear things down to build them back up, Lopetegui was a puzzling choice.

He’s not really a manager renowned for drumming a fluid style into his teams.

Thus far we've seen the Europa League-winning manager tinkering frequently with substitutions and selections, as he figures out the best way to combine the team he was given by Moyes and bed in the new additions.

Lots of new signings

With the season still at such an early juncture, it’d be unfair to judge Lopetegui on six games as he referenced in an interview with BBC Sport when supporters voiced their frustration against Chelsea: "The coach’s job is always like this, this is our work and this is the high pressure I can feel every day as a coach. I think the Premier League has 38 matches and we’ll talk in May."

He has a point. For all of Moyes’ pragmatism and defensive nous, West Ham conceded 74 league goals last season.

Large expenditure in the summer means Lopetegui has plenty of new players but the biggest issue he must contend with is bedding them into his starting XI. Signing Jean Claire Todibo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Max Kilman are all shrewd moves but it means three players in a back four have never played together and will need time.

Julen Lopetegui has been backed in the transfer market much more than David Moyes

New midfielder Guido Rodriguez was substituted after 37 minutes against Chelsea when it was painfully obvious a combination of him and Ederson Alvarez made West Ham incredibly slow and turgid in the middle of the park.

Up front, Niclas Füllkrug was hailed as a coup but looks jaded, still recovering from an injury sustained during the international break. The forward also had a long season with Borussia Dortmund and Germany at the Euros, so it may take time for him to get up to speed.

The complaints under Moyes were that the Hammers had a plethora of exciting players so naturally the football should be better.

With each defeat, and importantly lack of obvious progress, there will be murmurs of whether Lopetegui's appointment was the right decision.

Right now, it's easier to fondly remember the past than be optimistic for the future.

Be careful what you wish for.

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