Life at West Ham couldn’t have started much worse for Julen Lopetegui, after being heavily backed in the transfer window this summer, and only delivering three wins from his first ten Premier League games.
West Ham are averaging 44.9% possession so far this season – the fifth lowest in the division – whilst only managing 13.7 shots per match, and conceding 16.1 shots per game, the fourth most in the top-flight.
These poor performances have seen pressure mount on Lopetegui already after just a few months in charge, to the point the Spaniard even looked to change formations at the weekend into the 3-4-3 which was also seen in his time at Wolves.
Lopetegui's 3-4-3 attempt
Lopetegui started this season in his 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1, having two defensive-minded midfielders, often with Lucas Paqueta either as an advanced number eight or the number 10.
But against Forest, the Spaniard reverted to a three-man defensive shape, looking for extra solidity at the back after beating Manchester United, but still conceding 18 shots and five big chances.
This saw all three of Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos starting in the back three, with Emerson and Aaron Wan-Bissaka as wingbacks.
The midfield two was made up of Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez, whilst Paqueta joined the front three, alongside Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen.
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But a red card for Alvarez in the game didn’t help their case, as the Hammers went on to concede 19 shots against them, three big chances and, of course, three goals. This could see Lopetegui under immense pressure, and West Ham could turn their attention to another manager.
West Ham's links to Edin Terzic
According to The Daily Mail, last season’s Champions League finalist, Edin Terzić, is interested in coming to the Premier League amid links to West Ham United.
Back in 2023, Graham Potter labelled Terzic as a “fantastic” manager for the job he was doing at Dortmund. The following season, in the 2023/24 campaign, the 42-year-old then led his Dortmund side all the way to the Champions League final before losing 2-0 to Real Madrid and falling at the last hurdle.
The German-Croatian coach often set his Dortmund side up in a 4-2-3-1, also using a 4-3-3 at times, and therefore, it wouldn’t be too drastic of a change for the Hammers to make mid-season. Terzic plays a possession-heavy brand of football, averaging 58.8% last season (4th highest in the Bundesliga). Registering 15.1 shots per game, they were pretty attacking too.
Players such as Paqueta could benefit from the managerial change, as Terzic often used Julian Brandt as a number 10, who could drop deep to facilitate build-up and circulate possession (something well suited to Paqueta’s skillset), but also arrive higher up the pitch, to ensure he is affecting the game closer to the box as well.
Others that could benefit include Kilman, being the primary progressor in the backline, Niklas Fullkrug, who has worked under Terzic already at Dortmund, and even a youngster such as Lewis Orford, to provide security on the ball in the middle of the park in deeper areas.
West Ham held positive talks with elite manager but hired Lopetegui instead
He would’ve been a statement hire by Tim Steidten.
ByEmilio GalantiniOct 31, 2024