West Ham’s New Dawn: David Moyes has been holding back the New Manager with his impressive track record at the London stadium before leaving.
Why Julen Lopetegui Must Learn from David Moyes:
The departing manager should always be a guiding light for their successor. This is not only true at clubs like Liverpool but also rings particularly true at West Ham United.
David Moyes, over his various spells, qualified the Hammers for Europe on multiple occasions, secured important victories against supposedly stronger opponents, and even delivered a long-awaited trophy.
However, in one of his final defining moments, he also oversaw a humbling 5-1 defeat at Anfield in the Carabao Cup.
In a curious twist of fate, Julen Lopetegui, Moyes’ successor, has already followed in his footsteps in one unfortunate regard. He too suffered a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Liverpool in the same competition.
At a stroke, it was one fewer opportunity for silverware this season and has made it that much harder for West Ham to secure European football under Lopetegui in his debut campaign.
The parallels between the two managers inevitably prompt comparisons, and it is easy to recall Moyes’ candid words after his own Anfield humiliation. Speaking bluntly after the thrashing, he mused:
“What would West Ham’s expectations be? Would you expect us to win a European trophy? Would you expect us to be challenging for the Champions League? There’s not many nodding their heads in here.”
Moyes’ rhetorical question gets to the heart of the debate around West Ham’s ambitions. What should the club’s supporters, owners, and Lopetegui himself expect this season? Can they realistically push for Europe? Does their recent spending spree mean they should aim higher? Or are they at risk of setting themselves up for disappointment?
Lopetegui’s tenure is still in its infancy, but early signs suggest it has not been the seamless transition the club might have hoped for.
West Ham currently find themselves in 14th place in the Premier League, having narrowly avoided defeat to Fulham thanks to a last-minute equaliser. It could easily have been worse.
The club’s big summer signings have yet to make a significant impact. Niclas Fullkrug, hailed as the marquee addition, has yet to start a Premier League game, largely due to injury.
Other new arrivals, such as Luis Guilherme, Jean-Clair Todibo, and Carlos Soler, have scarcely been seen in action. Crysencio Summerville has only featured once in the league so far.
West Ham are no strangers to splashing out on new players, only to find that the team as a whole fails to click. While it’s still too early to judge this year’s crop of new signings, the lack of immediate cohesion is worrying.
The club’s recent history is littered with examples of recruitment drives that looked promising on paper but failed to deliver on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Lopetegui’s West Ham is showing worrying similarities to the final days of Moyes. The team isn’t pressing effectively, one of the supposed trademarks of the Spaniard’s managerial style.
Defensively, they’ve been porous, conceding eight goals in their last two matches. This echoes last season’s defensive frailties when they conceded five or more goals on five separate occasions.
At Anfield, West Ham found themselves caught between two worlds. Lopetegui fielded many of his top players at some stage during the match, yet still ended up on the wrong side of a heavy defeat.
“I don’t think we deserve the score,” Lopetegui remarked after the game, but the reality was a 5-1 loss and a red card for Edson Alvarez, who will now miss the crucial London derby against Brentford. While West Ham showed flashes of promise, the late collapse as Cody Gakpo scored twice was symptomatic of deeper problems within the squad.
Critics could argue that Lopetegui’s reign has been underwhelming thus far, but it’s also worth noting that West Ham’s four defeats have come against sides currently occupying the top five places in the Premier League: Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool. There’s no shame in losing to any of these teams, but the nature of the 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea, which prompted boos from the crowd, suggests patience may be wearing thin.
In some respects, Moyes’ post-Anfield analysis last season seems more relevant than ever. The Premier League has arguably expanded to include a ‘big eight,’ and West Ham finished ninth last term, positioning themselves on the cusp of that elite group.
Their summer outlay, which exceeded £120 million, and the hiring of a manager with the pedigree of Lopetegui – a man who has managed Real Madrid, Spain, and been considered for the AC Milan job – signal that the club’s ambitions are rising.
West Ham’s spending made them the sixth-highest net spenders in Europe this summer, and they are right to aspire to more. It’s too simplistic to caution them against ambition, even if some feared the decision to move on from Moyes might backfire.
In truth, Moyes had achieved great things for West Ham, but his time at the club had probably run its course. Supporters were entitled to hope for more.
Yet Lopetegui, while undoubtedly a more glamorous appointment, isn’t necessarily the manager to deliver the kind of swashbuckling football that West Ham fans crave.
His pragmatic style doesn’t immediately align with the club’s historical identity or with Tim Steidten, West Ham’s director of football.
For now, Lopetegui’s task is simple: beat Brentford and Ipswich in the coming weeks, stabilise the team, and steer West Ham back into the top half of the table.
He needs to find a way to integrate the club’s many new signings, secure results against the league’s top sides, and perhaps even replicate Moyes’ near-miraculous push for a top-four finish in 2020-21.
After the Anfield defeat, Lopetegui adopted a humble tone, apologising to the fans. But while the apology is important, his real task is clear: emulate the best parts of Moyes’ tenure, not the worst. Victory against Brentford could be the first step towards doing just that.