“Is he actually the man for this club” Pundit accuses Lopetegui of claim after dubious final minute controversy YET overshadowed by Mohammed Kudus Outburst.
There’s a clear contrast between the appointments of Julen Lopetegui at West Ham and Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham.
When it was revealed that Lopetegui would succeed David Moyes at West Ham, many fans were left unimpressed.
In contrast, Tottenham fans were largely excited by Postecoglou’s arrival.
West Ham didn’t have to pay compensation for Lopetegui as he had been out of work for a year, while Spurs paid Celtic £5m for Postecoglou—the same manager that West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady had publicly expressed interest in bringing to the London Stadium.
During the summer, West Ham had been linked with more high-profile candidates, and fans were genuinely excited when the club engaged with Ruben Amorim.
Lopetegui criticized for post-match behavior after Spurs defeat
Paulo Fonseca was another potential option, and just last week, West Ham confirmed talks had also been held with Thomas Tuchel.
The club was also linked with Marco Silva but balked at the £13m compensation required to sign him.
Now, many West Ham fans feel they got what they paid for with Lopetegui. Given that he wasn’t the exciting choice fans had hoped for, patience is already wearing thin, especially after a 4-1 loss to bitter rivals Tottenham.
Postecoglou made Lopetegui appear out of his depth in the second half as his Spurs side easily outplayed West Ham.
Lopetegui has been widely criticized for his tactics, team selections, and overall approach since arriving in East London.
One moment of controversy followed the final whistle of the humiliating defeat to Spurs, when Lopetegui walked straight down the tunnel, but the outrage surrounding this seems unwarranted.
Outrage over Lopetegui walking off is unjustified
West Ham’s away section was packed at the start of the game, but by the final 15 minutes, it was mostly empty—a scene that’s become common this season during defeats to Man City, Chelsea, and Liverpool.
This is far from what the owners expected after appointing a new manager and spending £155m on nine players.
One harsh criticism of Lopetegui after the Spurs defeat was his decision to head straight down the tunnel rather than applaud the away fans.
Some supporters have used this as a reason to criticize the manager, but in his defense, what else could he have done?
Was he really expected to applaud a section of mostly empty seats?
Normally, players and managers acknowledge the traveling supporters at the end of a match. However, at Tottenham, there were hardly any West Ham fans left by the time the final whistle blew.
Perhaps Lopetegui could have shown some gratitude to the few remaining fans, but it’s understandable if he was frustrated, especially after holding his players accountable for the performance.
By the time the match ended, it was clear that the West Ham section had largely emptied.
Criticize Lopetegui for his tactics, team management, substitutions, or how he’s handling players like Mohammed Kudus, but starting a backlash over his failure to applaud 3,000 empty seats seems unnecessary.
West Ham fans should be above that.