West Ham dud may have cost Lopetegui his job after a 4/10 performance

West Ham United fell to a second straight defeat in the Premier League, losing 3-1 against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium last night.

The game saw Ruud van Nistelrooy claim his first win as Foxes boss, after goals from Jamie Vardy, Bilal El Khannouss and Patson Daka secured all three points for the hosts before Niclas Füllkrug popped up with a late consolation.

Undoubtedly, the defeat will pile more pressure on Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui, who has now lost half of his Premier League games in charge, ultimately failing to have the impact he would have envisaged upon his appointment in the summer.

His side currently occupy 14th place after their seventh league loss of the season, with only Wolves and Southampton losing more at this stage.

The Spaniard rang the changes in the East Midlands last night, but they failed to make any form of positive impact, contributing to yet another dismal showing in 2024/25.

West Ham’s disappointing performers against Leicester

Striker Danny Ings was handed his first league start of the campaign on Tuesday, but the 32-year-old failed to take advantage of a rare opportunity handed his way.

The Englishman may have started the match but was replaced at the break by Crysencio Summerville after a first half which saw just 19 touches of the ball.

Ings also lost both of his ground duels and failed to direct any of his efforts on target as it was yet another disappointing evening for Lopetegui’s squad.

Konstantinos Mavropanos was recalled to the starting XI for the clash in the Midlands, but like Ings, was unable to put his own stamp on the meeting and stake his claim for a regular spot.

The Greece international may have completed 60 passes in the defeat, but he was part of a backline that conceded three or more goals for the sixth time in 14 matches.

Lopetegui’s side have now shipped 27 goals – the third most of any team in the division – with one player potentially costing the Spaniard his job at the London Stadium.

The West Ham player who may have cost Lopetegui his job

As previously mentioned, West Ham’s defence has been a real problem throughout the opening stages of the season, despite heavy investment from the board.

Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo both arrived during the off-season, but have been unable to transform the fortunes within the defensive unit in recent months.

Vladimir Coufal is a player who has been at the club over a number of years, making over 150 appearances since his move from Slavia Prague, but this week he was unable to have any sort of positive impact on the encounter.

The Czech international featured for just over an hour, before being replaced after El Khannouss had scored the hosts’ second goal of the contest.

However, his withdrawal was deserved, with the 32-year-old failing to make any key passes, complete any crosses or make any interceptions – looking well off the pace at right-back.

Coufal also lost 60% of the duels he contested, coming out second best in numerous key areas, contributing to the Irons’ latest defeat.

As a result, the full-back was handed a measly 4/10 match rating by the Standard’s Dom Smith – the second lowest of any player to feature for Lopetegui’s side behind Mavropanos and Kilman.

The Spaniard must now be fearing for his job after yet another disappointing display, with his side doing him no favours over the last couple of days.

It remains to be seen if the 58-year-old will be in the role ahead of Monday’s clash with former side Wolverhampton Wanderers, potentially allowing them to put the nail in his Hammers coffin.