West Ham United will be without a key player this weekend as they prepare to host newly promoted Ipswich Town, according to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee.
Lopetegui under pressure after poor West Ham run
The Irons will be desperate to secure a much-needed three points against Kieran McKenna’s plucky Premier League newcomers on Saturday afternoon.
What Julen Lopetegui has done to leave West Ham players very "surprised"
The Spaniard is dividing opinion behind the scenes.
ByEmilio GalantiniOct 2, 2024
West Ham haven’t won a single game since late August, with their last one coming in a 1-0 victory against Bournemouth in the EFL Cup – a competition they have since crashed out of courtesy of a 5-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Alongside their loss to Arne Slot’s side, West Ham have suffered heavy defeats to the likes of Chelsea and Man City, with manager Julen Lopetegui also lucky to escape Fulham without another defeat thanks to Danny Ings’ last-gasp equaliser to make it 1-1 in added time.
Match
Date
Opponent
Competition
Result
#8
28/09/2024
Brentford (A)
Premier League
1-1 draw
#7
25/09/2024
Liverpool (A)
Carabao Cup
5-1 loss
#6
21/09/2024
Chelsea (H)
Premier League
3-0 loss
#5
14/09/2024
Fulham (A)
Premier League
1-1 draw
#4
31/08/2024
Man City (H)
Premier League
3-1 loss
#3
28/08/2024
Bournemouth (H)
Carabao Cup
1-0 win
#2
24/08/2024
Crystal Palace (A)
Premier League
2-0 win
#1
17/08/2024
Aston Villa (H)
Premier League
2-1 loss
The Hammers also drew 1-1 at Brentford last weekend, with Tomas Soucek finding an eventual leveller after Bryan Mbeumo handed the Bees a very early lead. There are concerns over West Ham’s lack of bite, especially considering they spent nearly £120 million on new signings in the summer transfer window on nine quality squad additions.
“When you’re in a bad run of form and you concede with 41 seconds on the clock, you fear the worst. In that context, the way West Ham bounced back to earn a point at Brentford is a positive,” said Sky journalist Ron Walker.
“But that’s still as good as it gets. For a team with the depth and quality of this Hammers side, the lack of memorable moments they produced is still a concern. The Hammers’ defending has been a major cause for concern but their attacking return is an even greater worry when Julen Lopetegui was tasked with delivering a more expansive style.
“That will take time, but with an expected goals tally lower than Southampton despite Lucas Paqueta, Mohamed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen featuring in every game, even their individual quality should be enough to produce more than this.”
Some believe Lopetegui is at risk of losing the West Ham job if things don’t improve, and the Spaniard has been forced to cope without summer signing Niclas Fullkrug lately, after the German suffered an Achilles injury on international duty with Germany.
West Ham star Niclas Fullkrug set to miss Ipswich through injury
As per Ex, Fullkrug is set to miss West Ham’s clash with Ipswich through injury too – which will come as a bitter blow for Lopetegui who will have to rely on Michail Antonio and Danny Ings yet again.
“We can reveal that German forward Niclas Fullkrug is likely to be missing for the game against Ipswich,” stated Ex on The West Ham Way Patreon.
“His injury has taken longer than expected and the club are now saying they expect he will only be fit after the international break, which comes after the Ipswich game.”
The 31-year-old racked up 26 goal contributions (10 goals, six assists) for Borussia Dortmund in all competitions last season, but has been limited to just 63 minutes in the Premier League over three substitute appearances so far at West Ham.