Contrary to the feeling that every shadowy corner at West Ham is occupied by hitmen, there are still people at the club who have nice things to say about Julen Lopetegui. One spoke to me this week, and in flattering terms too.
While feelings might clash among some members of the first team, he said the manager was a warm man. Friendly. Holistic in elements of his approach. And it was all explained in a loose comparison to David Moyes, even if it wasn't aimed at the latter as a slur.
The example my source used was based on the willingness to allow the children of players and staff onto their Rush Green training ground. Moyes wasn't much of a fan on that front, and apparently once made fun of Michail Antonio for bringing in his kids. There's nothing wrong with that, but Lopetegui sees benefit in going the other way every now and then.
Of course, that's what managers do: they all have their methods and the bigger the difference from the previous guy, the better. At least that's the perception, and it's usually the details we write about when three or four games have gone well at the start of a new reign.
A lot of it is nonsense and gimmicky, but we pump out the examples nonetheless. Garry Monk rearranged the tables in the Swansea City canteen to promote conversation between his players. Antonio Conte has given up ketchup at Tottenham. Reuben Amorim made a play of visiting the Manchester United museum. These factors may or may not be worth as much on the field as they are in the optics, based on the illusion of discovery, but one salient fact remains: if your midfield rotates slower than milk, you're still screwed.
And for now, Lopetegui looks a little screwed. A little lost. A bit too much like Moyes in tactical pragmatism, and not enough like Moyes in his ability to make it effective.
The mistake of pushing Moyes away, of underestimating what he brought, including a first trophy in 43 years, was labeled foolish long before it was put into practice. Swapping him for Lopetegui is the most contemporary reason to tell fans and owners of all clubs, and David Sullivan in particular, that sometimes a new broom is just a stick and bristles. To narrow that down even further, at the risk of cliché: be careful what you wish for, as West Ham are considering another change less than half a season later.
I don't like the headline 'El Sackico'. I find it inhumane, lacking compassion for those in the middle of a sporting crisis, but it does capture the essence of West Ham's engagement with Gary O'Neil's Wolves on Monday. If one or both are fired in the coming week, it wouldn't be a surprise.
But we'll stick with Lopetegui and West Ham because Sullivan isn't known for his willingness to part with a severance package.
“Very hesitant” was the description preferred by my source, who cited half a dozen occasions when staff felt Moyes' tenure would end in the final months before ultimately concluding he was not the right fit. By then Moyes had come to the same conclusion about them, and for now we can only wonder whether Lopeteugi had reached some agreement with his predecessor over the role of Tim Steidten, the club's technical director.
I've used this page before to wonder why those in suits operate with greater impunity than those who take sides. Watching West Ham this season, there should be no doubt that their failures should be blamed as much on the person who oversaw £125m of summer spending as on Lopetegui.
Lopetegui's work equates to fifteen points from fourteen games, five conceded goals in one half against Arsenal and a most recent defeat against Leicester that broke the patience of so many fans. Their frustration is entirely justified: he has no clear idea of his best team and the only consistency is that results and performances remain poor. There is nothing in his style that resembles the pretensions of a 'West Ham way', whatever that may be in 2024.
But Steidten's name received much less attention in Leicester on Tuesday evening. What about his work? What indicates that he was the right person to support the power struggle with Moyes, with Steidten staying away from the training ground for a while, just like those kids?
He has contributed to a defense that has conceded three or more seven times this season, in both the league and cup. A midfield without pace. An attack with three men over 30, serving within a wider squad with no fewer than 10 players in the same age category and the oldest collective in the Premier League this season.
They are the opposite of Chelsea, who, despite all their sins, gamble on the future and enjoy the here and now. West Ham just stinks of bad judgement. From a mess that requires an expensive solution.
That's less on Lopetegui and more on Steidten. He's the orchestrator of this mess. A man who has never been consciously shy about posing next to the signings he has chosen, such as Luis Guilherme (£25m, 11 minutes playing time) and Niclas Fullkrug (£27m, 31 years old, ravaged by injuries since his arrival), but has since become strangely quiet.
Lopetegui might therefore rightly wonder whether he should take the flak alone. He could also argue that fourteen league games isn't exactly a fair blow.
By now, after so little evidence of progress, Sullivan may be less inclined to listen.
But if he breaks old habits and acts quickly, he should certainly look for the common denominators behind this manager and the previous one. West Ham is a little more child-friendly these days, but that would be for adults.
BOURNEMOUTH EXPOSED TO SPURS
We can now add Bournemouth to the list of teams that have exposed a vulnerability in Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham. From Dean Huijsen's header, the running tally shows that Spurs have conceded five goals from set pieces in the league this season.
I would like to see Postecoglou succeed, but there is no point in repeating the same mistakes over and over again. That goes double for one of the areas where a coach can have the most input and influence.
Sunday's match against Chelsea starts thirteen months after last season's wild match, when Tottenham lost 4-1 but thrilled us by chasing a win with nine men at 1-1. It was daring, daring, a bit silly and naive, but the flaws were fun because they were so bold. So new. That can no longer be submitted as a plea for the defense.
The concern for Postecoglou is that while Chelsea have developed into contenders against most reasonable expectations, Spurs still have the same view of vulnerabilities. A team that can fill both halves of Manchester on their day has also lost to Bournemouth, Ipswich, Brighton and Crystal Palace and never looks solid under a set-piece. They never give the impression that lessons have been learned and that one is above all others. It's hard to turn a corner if you can't defend it.
FA UNSURE IF THEY WILL ENDORSE SAUDI'S BID
The FA is said to be unsure whether it will officially endorse Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup when it is ratified next week. Considering the Saudis have been brazenly ushered into a race of one by FIFA, there is hardly any need for approval.
And yet, after a week of wrangling around the issue of Marc Guehi's rainbow armband, it would be simply absurd for the FA to publicly endorse a state where LGBTQ+ rights do not exist.
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