Things haven’t gone according to plan for Julen Lopetegui at West Ham, and after five games the East Londoners already find themselves languishing in 14th position with just four points from a possible 15.
The fanfare that greeted the Spaniard’s arrival has quickly dissipated.
That’s due in no small part to a lack of the supposed more continental brand of football he was going to bring to the London Stadium instead of the dire fare that David Moyes often served up.
Lopetegui under pressure from “notorious” West Ham fans
Aside from sticking with a number of players that were stalwarts under Moyes, which also hasn’t curried favour with the Hammers faithful given the amount of new signings there were in the summer, Lopetegui just hasn’t been able to get across his ideas in any way, shape or form.
Their recent defeat against Chelsea saw Lopetegui’s side become the first in West Ham’s 125-year history to lose their opening three matches at home from the beginning of a season.
If nothing else, that’s a ringing endorsement of just how poor they’ve been, and former Everton CEO, Keith Wyness, can see trouble ahead for the Spaniard.
“It’s a very disappointing start. The crowd, certainly when they lost 3-0 at home to Chelsea, are very dissatisfied,” he told Football Insider’s The Inside Track podcast.
“This is the crowd who hounded David Moyes out last season. They’re notorious for not being that patient.
“They expected more from Lopetegui. He’s been given a decent squad, but it’s a very bad start.
“It’s still early days. We’ll see where they sit around Christmas time. The confidence in the manager isn’t quite there, so it’s not good signs. If the fans start to turn against the team, it won’t end well.
“Between Christmas and Easter, if things don’t turn around, that’s when it will be crunch time for Lopetegui’s job.
“They’ve had a tough start with the fixture list, but after Christmas, they will be a club to keep an eye on.”
The Hammers next four fixtures are all in London, with away games at Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as receiving Ipswich Town and Man United at the London Stadium.
If Lopetegui isn’t able to gain a foothold by the end of that four-game run, he might not even make it until Christmas.
Top photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images