Julen Lopetegui was visibly delighted when West Ham United earned all three points against Manchester United on Sunday.
West Ham needed that win against Man United at the London Stadium badly, or more to the point, Julen Lopetegui did.
The Hammers head coach was said to be under real pressure before the Manchester United clash.
And after the first 45 minutes, it seemed like Lopetegui was a dead man walking.
The Spaniard made some big changes at half-time though, with Crysencio Summerville, Tomas Soucek and Jean-Clair Todibo coming on to replace Carlos Soler, Lucas Paqueta and Konstantinos Mavropanos.
West Ham were a different team after the break, and our performance resulted in a hugely important 2-1 victory.
The result lifted the mood around the London Stadium, and alleviated the pressure on Lopetegui’s shoulders.
The win has at least provided the Spaniard with a little bit more time, but what do the players think about him?
Are they fully on board with his ideas?
West Ham star shares what he thinks of Julen Lopetegui
The Hammers chief made nine new signings in the summer, whilst 12 players left the London Stadium.
It was a huge squad overhaul, and it will obviously take time for everything to gel.
One of Lopetegui’s best summer signings was his former captain at Wolves – Max Kilman.
The deal to sign him for £40 million now looks like very good business for West Ham.
Kilman has been speaking to WHUFC.com about all things West Ham, and he delivered his honest opinion on Lopetegui.
The 27-year-old said, “It’s great to work with him again, him and his team. He is obviously very passionate. He wants to bring the best out of all his players. So we just need to keep working and everyone needs to keep getting their head down and keep improving.”
Kilman is clearly a big fan of the 58-year-old, and it’s obvious to see that he’s firmly behind him.
The proof will be in the pudding though.
The Hammers face games against Nottingham Forest and Everton before the next international break, and we have to be looking at a bare minimum of four points from those fixtures.
Julen Lopetegui desperately needs to oversee a sustained run of good results now, if he is to succeed at West Ham.
Hopefully the win over Manchester United will act as the kickstart that the players needed.
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