Lopetegui’s Half-Time Adjustment Deemed Game-Changing

Stephen Warnock, a former Premier League defender, discussed Julen Lopetegui’s tactical adjustment during halftime of West Ham’s win over Manchester United on BBC Match of the Day. Warnock stated: “One of the players who struggled in the first half was Edson Alvarez. He struggled because of the pace of the game and Manchester United’s movement in midfield. He got a little bit lost in positions at times. It’s very clear that his job was to keep an eye on Bruno Fernandes. He [Loptegui] made the changes at half time and Edson Alvarez finds himself in the centre of the back three. He puts Emerson and [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka as his wing-backs and this changes the way West Ham can press and how they can get out from Manchester United’s press. It was a really positive change from Lopetegui to alter the game. In the first half, they [Man Utd] created lots of opportunities. In the second half, when you’ve got five men behind the ball, it became one of them situations when Bruno Fernandes was taking pot shots from outside the box. As a defender, you’re absolutely delighted about that.”