Julen Lopetegui already finds himself under intense early pressure at West Ham over results and his handling of new signings.
Any honeymoon period Julen Lopetegui had at West Ham is officially over after the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.
The football press has been on Lopetegui’s case before a ball was kicked this season.
But Hammers fans also made their feelings clear at the London Stadium too.
West Ham supporters booed the team off and jeered Lopetegui’s substitutions. Thousands then walked out with 20 minutes left against one of the club’s biggest rivals.
There was no hiding the Spaniard’s tactical disaster-class in West Ham’s drubbing to London rivals Chelsea.
The 57-year-old had already left supporters bemused with his team selections and tactics during the first five games of his tenure.
But the decision to play Edson Alvarez at centre-back and have him play man-to-man against Nicolas Jackson backfired spectacularly after just three minutes. It was exposed again as Jackson doubled Chelsea’s lead.
West Ham fans were not expecting an overnight miracle from Lopetegui.
West Ham respond on Lopetegui and Todibo situation
Many realise it will take time for the ex Spain boss to implement his philosophy and knit a new-look team together after a turnover of 21 players in the summer.
The knives are out for West Ham’s head coach already, though.
He has been savaged by journalists and pundits over the last two performances.
There have even been claims he is under pressure to save his job in the coming weeks.
It’s an unsavoury situation after the board backed the new man and technical director Tim Steidten with £155m for nine new signings.
Arguably the most exciting and impressive of those was centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo.
But the Frenchman is yet to start a Premier League game. And he was hauled off by Lopetegui at half-time when he did start in the cup against Bournemouth.
Todibo’s lack of action comes despite the error-prone performances of Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Now West Ham have responded exclusively to Hammers News on the Lopetegui and Todibo situation.
Lopetegui has been appointed on an initial two-year contract.
His target is to compete for the European spots. Should West Ham qualify for Europe a third year will be automatically triggered.
Todibo has joined West Ham on loan from Nice with an obligation to buy.
That obligation is triggered as soon as he makes five Premier League starts.
The fact he is yet to make one has given rise to conspiracy theories that he is not fancied by the manager or that the club have cold feet about shelling out the £30m for his permanent capture.
Hammers News has spoken to the top source inside the London Stadium close to West Ham’s owners.
Hammers top brass demand improvement
The response on both is telling and the pressure is on.
“We are poor and need to improve,” the top contact at West Ham exclusively told Hammers News.
“Rightly or wrongly the manager thinks Todibo is not tough enough for the Premier League at the moment.
“But he deserves games.”
After defeat to Chelsea, Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg turned on David Sullivan over Lopetegui’s appointment.
Lopetegui may think Todibo ‘isn’t tough enough’ for the Premier League at the moment.
But can he really be much worse than Mavropanos after he put in a 3/10 performance vs Chelsea.
And how can Todibo be expected to reach peak fitness and get used to the physicality of English football if he doesn’t play.
One thing is sure from that response from West Ham – the board are far from impressed so far and Lopetegui must sort things out quickly.
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