Lopetegui and O’Neil Remain Focused as ‘El Sackico’ Approaches

Julen Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil are both experiencing significant job pressure as they head into Monday’s game. Two managers will oversee Monday’s fixture between West Ham and Wolves, but there is a widespread belief that only one may retain their position afterward. Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui and Wolves’ Gary O’Neil currently possess the two shortest odds, by a considerable margin, to be the next to lose their jobs. This situation has led to the match being colloquially termed ‘El Sackico’ on social media. Last week, both managers were subjected to chants of “you’ll be sacked in the morning” from their own supporters, following Wolves’ defeat to Everton and Leicester’s victory over West Ham. BBC Sport investigates why the pair are considered to be on the brink of dismissal. Lopetegui expressed ‘frustration’ regarding missed opportunities after the defeat at Leicester. Could Lopetegui’s final West Ham game be against his former club? The Spaniard departed Wolves on the eve of last season, citing frustration over his inability to sign players. After nearly a year out of work, he became West Ham manager on 1 July, taking over from David Moyes. Moyes had guided West Ham to European competition for three consecutive seasons and won the Europa Conference League, but some fans perceived his football as overly negative. Lopetegui, formerly manager of Real Madrid and Spain, was expected to improve the team’s playing style, but the Hammers are currently in 14th place with only four Premier League wins this season. A morale-boosting win against Newcastle a couple of weeks ago was followed by a 5-2 home loss to Arsenal and a 3-1 defeat away to struggling Leicester. West Ham ranks ninth in the Premier League for the number of shots taken but only 16th for goals scored (placing them below Wolves), with a shot conversion rate of 8.74%. Lopetegui informed journalists on Friday that he “was not thinking this” when asked if Monday’s game could be his last. “We are not happy and for sure the fans are always right,” he said. “Until now I think they give us much more than we give them and we have to change this. We are working for this.” “I am focused on the things in our control. The only focus in this moment is to come back tomorrow and be focused on Monday.” Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague commented: “West Ham played really well against Newcastle and Leicester, but they seem to lack the confidence. That’s not impossible to correct. “I do see him tired, stressed and not being himself because the team has not clicked yet. But he is convinced that he can turn things around.” Balague added: “He was the Spanish national team manager, Real Madrid manager and won the Europa League with Sevilla, but some people think he cannot be good enough for a team that finished ninth in the Premier League last season.” Lopetegui’s future was deliberated by senior West Ham figures last week, but the decision was made to retain him in his position for the present. West Ham legend Tony Cottee stated on the BBC Sounds Sacked In The Morning podcast: “I wasn’t in favour of the appointment.” “I didn’t think it was following on from David Moyes. I was a huge David Moyes fan. He’d done an incredible job at the club – won West Ham their first trophy in 43 years.” Cottee continued: “Was the football free-flowing, attacking football? No, not really. But did West Ham win something? Yes, they did.” He concluded: “I think it was always going to be difficult to replace David. Really, really difficult. I didn’t think it was the right appointment, but that was only my own personal feelings. We are where we are now.” Hammers fan Holly Turbutt from West Ham Network told the BBC: “I don’t think Lopetegui will be able to turn it around. I have a feeling the Wolves game could be the final straw.” She elaborated: “He doesn’t know his best starting XI and is continuously changing team selection and formation. It feels like desperation for something to work. “The amount of chopping and changing makes it impossible for anything to click.” Following the Everton 4-0 Wolves match, Gary O’Neil stated the visitors were ‘nowhere near good enough’. O’Neil successfully kept Wolves safe last season, after Lopetegui’s departure three days before the campaign began had threatened to destabilize the team. They finished 14th, 20 points clear of the relegation zone. However, this season they are in 19th place with only two wins from 14 games, and suffered a heavy defeat against fellow strugglers Everton during the week. With 22 goals, they have scored more than some teams in European qualification spots heading into the weekend, but their 36 goals conceded is the highest in the league. Despite these results, he was nominated for November’s manager of the month award. BBC Radio WM reporter Mike Taylor said: “With exquisitely painful timing, the Premier League announced that Gary O’Neil had been nominated for the November manager of the month award, an hour or so before he was due at a press conference that most Wolves supporters assumed he would not still be in a position to take.” Nevertheless, O’Neil was not dismissed the following morning, contrary to fan predictions. Speaking on Thursday, the manager stated: “I don’t think about me personally, I think for the team and where we are in the league.” He added: “I can only keep going until things change. As far as I am aware, I took training this morning, players that started have recovered, players that didn’t play have trained.” O’Neil continued: “The criticism is part and parcel. Maybe two weeks ago at Fulham [when we] scored four away everyone was happy to take the plaudits, but when it doesn’t go well you need to stand up. My mentality won’t change, I’ll always front up.” Taylor further noted: “O’Neil remains in post – despite reports that Wolves are considering alternatives and the expectation of many supporters that the club should already have done so.” He concluded: “In time, we shall see whether this is an act of indecision or faith.” Taylor also remarked: “Simply changing the coach will not repair the squad’s weaknesses or stop the unpredictable errors.” He added: “Few things cost a club more money than a change of manager – relegation is one of them.” The Wolves fans who traveled to Everton last week clearly expressed their opinions with ‘sacked in the morning’ chants. Dave Azzopardi from Talking Wolves told the BBC: “While Gary O’Neil is still in charge I can’t see things improving quickly.” He elaborated: “I believe we have the players to be higher up in the table but under the current ideas it’s not quite working out.” Azzopardi concluded: “Big changes, big shake-ups needed to be had for Wolves.”