Julen Lopetegui

Lopetegui Brushes Off ‘El Sackio’ Pressure Ahead of Everton Clash

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Leading up to the game against Everton, dubbed “El Sackio” by many media outlets,  Julen Lopetegui has downplayed these rumours, insisting that he does not feel any extra pressure and regularly speaks to West Ham Chairman David Sullivan. As per Martin’s article, in his recent press conference, the Spanish Head Coach said, “I am sure we have plenty of time to turn this bad moment into a good one.”

With Alvarez, Kudus, and Füllkrug all unavailable, Bowen and Todibo will also face late fitness tests. Lopetegui will have some selection headaches if neither player is available.

If that’s the case, the potential line-up could be:

Fabianski, despite conceding three goals against Nottingham Forest, is likely to start over Areola, with Wan-Bissaka, Emerson, Mavropanos, and Kilman all starting in defence.

Tomas Soucek, who has recovered from illness, will play alongside Rodriguez, with Paqueta, Summerville, and Soler in midfield.

Upfront, Antonio will lead the line, with Ings waiting on the bench.

It would be nice if Guilherme and Irving could get some minutes, and Kaelan Casey and Ollie Scarles may also be included in the squad.

West Ham are favourites with a 44% chance of winning, while a draw or Everton win stands at 28%. In their last five meetings, West Ham have won three compared to Everton’s two. However, Everton took all three points in last season’s fixture, with Calvert-Lewin scoring in the 51st minute.

Everton can go above West Ham if they win at the London Stadium, with manager Sean Dyche also under pressure . The Merseyside club has recently been linked to David Moyes, who suggested he’s open to managing abroad, but is considering all options.

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I have been a season ticket holder since the late eighties, so experienced the highs and lows of being a West Ham supporter. I previously wrote for OLAS and have contributed to a number of football publications in the past.

3 comments

  • Matt says:

    I thought El Sackio was against Man Utd?

    Loyalty, trust and honouring a contract to a complete fool is equally as foolish.

    Picking 🇪🇸🤡 unfortunately just shows that Sully hasn’t got a clue!

    Clueless on the pitch and boardroom = relegation!

  • Kenny Irons says:

    He regularly speaks to Sullivan ? probably along the lines “ Ha ha, you cocked up again, David, what made you think I was a good manager” .

  • Bennyboy baker says:

    What is wrong with Sullivan and the rest of the board JL is a absolute disgrace is Sullivan going gaga any other club would have kicked him out by now all this about we honour our contracts is a joke what about JL honouring his part of the contract he made big claims about how he was the man to take us to the next level another joke the only place JL is taking our club is into the championship or is that what Sullivan wants because it certainly looks that way

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