Julen Lopetegui could make eyebrow-raising change for Newcastle vs West Ham clash

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West Ham United head coach Julen Lopetegui is under huge pressure ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United.

Julen Lopetegui has seriously underwhelmed since taking over at West Ham, and we are currently sitting just four points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

In fact, Lopetegui has performed so badly since moving to the London Stadium that he is being heavily tipped to lose his job.

West Ham lack any kind of footballing identity, and Lopetegui still doesn’t know his best team.

The last thing we need right now is a trip to the North East to take on a resurgent Newcastle side.

That’s what we’ve got in front of us though.

And Lopetegui seems to be ready to make a seriously bold move ahead of the showdown at St James’ Park.

Julen Lopetegui could make change for Newcastle vs West Ham

One thing’s for sure – the Hammers need a big result on Tyneside tonight.

It has been claimed that Lopetegui requires ‘decent results’ against both Newcastle and Arsenal in order to save his job.

That in itself sounds ominous for the Spaniard.

And it seems like he could be set to ring the changes for the clash with the Magpies.

According to a report from The Evening Standard, Lopetegui could bring Alphonse Areola back in from the cold to replace Lukasz Fabianski in goal.

In fact, the Spaniard has already hinted himself that he could be ready to recall the France international to his starting lineup.

Areola hasn’t played for the Hammers since October 19th, so bringing him back into the side for tonight’s clash would be a really bold call from Lopetegui.

I suppose having that level of competition in one specific position is actually a good thing for West Ham.

Areola or Fabianski?

Both Hammers goalkeepers have their strengths and weaknesses.

Areola is the far better shot-stopper out of the two, whilst Fabianski is on another level to the Frenchman when it comes to collecting crosses and commanding his penalty area.

Neither are proficient with the ball at their feet, and their distribution skills are severely lacking.

I would suspect that whoever is in charge at the London Stadium come next summer will make a big investment in a goalkeeper who is well accustomed to playing out from the back.

In fairness to Lukasz Fabianski, he has performed very well since he came into the West Ham starting XI in place of Alphonse Areola.

So I think it would be incredibly harsh to drop the 39-year-old West Ham goalkeeper for tonight’s clash with Newcastle.

The release of the team-sheet at 6:45pm will be very highly anticipated, with the Hammers fans desperate to see which goalkeeper Lopetegui will pick for the clash with the Toon.