Max Kilman makes surprising West Ham claim that piles the pressure on Julen Lopetegui. If Julen Lopetegui wasn’t feeling the pressure already he will be now after a surprising West Ham claim from Max Kilman.
It looked for all the world that the penny had finally dropped for West Ham under Julen Lopetegui against Ipswich. After glimpses here and there, West Ham produced a quality performance to bash the newly-promoted side 4-1 before the international break.
Hammers star Emerson Palmieri even declared the players finally ‘got it’. But it looks like a false dawn after West Ham were battered 4-1 at rivals Spurs as the Premier League resumed.
The second half performance and manner of the capitulation against a big London rival was as worrying as the fact West Ham have only won two games in the league so far this season.
Shipping three goals in eight minutes – which was almost four in nine – and further indiscipline in the team has raised red flags in east London.
Hammers fans flooded out of Tottenham with 15 minutes left to play. It’s not the first time they’ve done that since Lopetegui’s arrival either.
West Ham supporters have already walked out early from four of West Ham’s 10 games this season in all competitions.
Kilman’s surprising West Ham claim piles pressure on Lopetegui
After spending £155m on nine players and appointing a new manager things were not meant to be like this at West Ham.
The Irons were widely deemed to have ‘won the transfer window’.
Pundits like Jamie Carragher tipped West Ham to get back into Europe.
Especially as the club also kept star players such as Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and co along with the new arrivals. West Ham’s awful 2024 form has continued, though. As has the team’s propensity to ship goals at an alarming rate despite all but one member of the back four being overhauled.
Now Lopetegui finds himself under scrutiny again.
His future at the club is being called into question with supporters yet to see any discernible improvement or difference in performances, style or results.
Now one of the club’s better summer signings has said something which raises serious questions. Max Kilman has made a surprising West Ham claim that piles the pressure on Lopetegui.
Kilman has been excellent since arriving from Wolves for £40m.
He did not have his best day at Spurs – but few did.
Speaking in the wake of the chastening drubbing, Kilman has said what many fans have been thinking. Hammers not performing to potential of players says star. That West Ham have the players to be a much better side, competing with the top teams in the league.
That puts the spotlight firmly on Lopetegui, who is the one failing to get anything like the best out of them thus far.
And worryingly Kilman doesn’t sound overly convinced West Ham are about to properly turn a corner under the manager anytime soon, saying ‘hopefully things will change’.
“It wasn’t good enough,” Kilman told West Ham’s website. “There was a spell in the second half when we let the game slip. It was a bad spell for us.
“We lost concentration as a team at important moments and let them get ahead of us. Obviously it’s not good enough for the level we are and the quality we have. We need to be doing much better.
“We need to compete with the best teams in the league and we have the quality to do that.
“We need to keep going and hopefully things will change.” If Kilman believes West Ham have the quality in the building to challenge the top teams then why aren’t we seeing it on the pitch?
That’s down to the head coach and his staff at the end of the day. It’s as simple as that.
Lopetegui was always going to need time.
But he’s had long enough now to be getting a better tune out of what is regarded as one of West Ham’s best squads of the Premier League era. Saying ‘hopefully things will change’ is hardly the most convincing look ahead to the future either.
Concerning times in east London.
