Julen Lopetegui got away with one again as West Ham pulled off an unconvincing victory in a must-win game against Southampton.
- Hammers News exclusive
Every time Julen Lopetegui is told his job is on the line if West Ham don’t win, that tends to be what happens.
Having survived his last must-win scenario with an extremely fortunate 2-1 win over Wolves, the owners told Lopetegui Southampton was a must-win.
But they demanded an improvement in performances too.
They got one of those things as a fox in the box Jarrod Bowen finish secured a smash and grab against one of the worst teams in Premier League history.
Southampton are on course to rival the Derby side of 2007/8, who got just 11 points, for that unwelcome moniker.
But the Hammers were second best for much of Ivan Juric’s first game in charge.
Southampton managed a season highest 18 shots, five of them on target, had more possession and completed more passes than West Ham.
It was Bowen’s close range finish which secured all three points, though.
Despite the win, many Hammers fans were far from impressed by the performance.
West Ham top brass on fortunate Saints win
They feel these isolated wins over poor opposition prove little about the manager or the team.
The biggest bone of contention is that supporters are not seeing any identity from Lopetegui’s side – six months in to his appointment.
West Ham are increasingly looking like a one-man team with their over-reliance on Bowen.
In fact only three Hammers players scored over 6/10 against the Saints.
Some supporters believe change is still needed to get the best out of the expensively assembled squad.
Especially with a daunting run of fixtures coming up which sees Lopetegui’s side play Liverpool, Man City, Aston Villa twice, Chelsea and Arsenal in the next nine games.
But what did the club’s owners think about the situation?
The West Ham top brass have shared what they really think after the fortunate Saints win.
Owners concede performance was ‘poor’ again but ‘a win is a win’
After the lucky draw with Brighton, the owners demanded a win over Southampton and said the team must start playing better.
It seems the Hammers hierarchy are satisfied with the victory but concede performances are ‘poor’.
“We were poor,” a spokesman for West Ham’s owners exclusively told Hammers News.
“But a win is a win.
“That’s now four undefeated.”
It is indeed. And who knows, it may be something to build on and give the team confidence.
But with Liverpool up next and the alarming rate at which West Ham so easily give up shots at their goal – things could get messy.
Supporters have already been suggesting Man City’s horrendous run will come to an end against West Ham.
If Graham Potter is on standby for West Ham then he may have to wait a little while longer while this tough run of games plays out before he knows whether he will be getting the call.
On the flip side, if Lopetegui can somehow navigate this spell by pulling off some shocks, it could turn the season around and breath life into his Hammers tenure.
West Ham’s owners can be accused of not seeing the bigger picture with Lopetegui here.
The team are not imposing themselves on the opposition or limiting chances. They are simply relying on the other team’s profligacy and Bowen to get by.
That surely has to change if Lopetegui is to have a long term future in east London.
The next group of fixtures really do feel like the crossroads for Lopetegui at West Ham.
Home games against Fulham, Palace and Brentford dotted in the run of games could become absolutely huge.
West Ham’s next nine games:
- Sunday 29th December, Premier League, West Ham vs Liverpool
- Saturday 4th January, Premier League, Manchester City vs West Ham
- Friday 10th January, FA Cup, Aston Villa vs West Ham
- Tuesday 14th January, Premier League, West Ham vs Fulham
- Saturday 18th January, Premier League, West Ham vs Crystal Palace
- Sunday 26th January, Premier League, Aston Villa vs West Ham
- Monday 3rd February, Premier League, Chelsea vs West Ham
- Saturday 15th February, Premier League, West Ham vs Brentford
- Saturday 22nd February, Premier League, Arsenal vs West Ham
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