Former West Ham United manager David Moyes graciously bowed out of the job towards the end of last season after an underwhelming campaign in charge of the East London side.
The Hammers had struggled domestically, finishing ninth and failing to clinch any European slots.
West Ham were abysmal defensively, conceding 74 goals in 38 Premier League outings. Only the relegated teams shipped in more goals during the 2023/24 season.
A quarter-final loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League sent the Irons crashing out while they failed to put up much of a fight in the domestic cups.
The time had come for Moyes to pass the mantle, and after 262 games, 112 wins, 95 losses, and 55 draws across two spells over five years, the 61-year-old decided to close the curtains on his West Ham tenure.
The disappointment of last season apart, the Scotsman leaves as one of the greatest managers in West Ham history.
Moyes guided West Ham to the semi-final of the Europa League in the 2021/22 season.
The following season, he led the Hammers to their first European final in 47 years, defeating Fiorentina in Prague to lift the European Conference League title.
Moyes also leaves West Ham with the best Premier League win percentage (37.9%) of any permanent manager at the club.
However, underneath those successes were constant murmurs about Moyes’ conservative football style.
With attacking talents like Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus, and Jarrod Bowen, fans and pundits expected West Ham to play fluid and front-foot football. Instead, they found his style rigid and reactionary.
Match-going fans who buy West Ham tickets from top ticketing platforms like seatsnet.com want to see their side play expansive football navigated by modern-day tactical wizardry. They did not get that with Moyes when they went to cheer their team.
These ambitious fans hoped to see a young, enterprising manager like Sporting CP star Ruben Amorim take the reins from Moyes.
However, West Ham have turned to Julen Lopetegui to provide the attacking spark that fans want to see. He will be tasked with turning the team into a more adventurous side while delivering the desired results.
But can Lopetegui eclipse Moyes? Can he take West Ham from a top-half Premier League team to a side consistently competing for the top four?
Style of play
Lopetegui is a capable and dependable coach who brings a wealth of experience to the London Stadium, having managed Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sevilla, FC Porto, and Real Madrid.
Since starting his coaching career at Rayo Vallecano, the Basque-born manager has achieved impressive career highs, including a Europa League title with Sevilla in 2020.
He won back-to-back European Championship titles with the Spanish Under-19s and Under-21s. He had a 20-game unbeaten stint in charge of the Spanish national team, culminating in him joining 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid.
At Wolves, he took charge of a side slipping dangerously into a relegation battle. He led them up to 13th, seven points away from the dreaded danger zone.
The Spaniard is a tactically flexible manager, ready to tweak his teams into 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, and 4-4-2 shapes. He plays to his side’s strengths.
His teams are possession-obsessed and tactically well-structured, taking on different shapes on and off the ball.
He likes his teams playing out of the back, using short passing to move up the field before the more attacking players connect in the final third, which will bode well for the strikers.
Michail Antonio has spent the last few seasons chasing booted long balls to make them stick and pull the team into the final third, but with Lopetegui at the helm, expect a more tailored and tactical approach.
His teams rely on fluid combinations/interchanges and overloads to create chances in the final third.
Interestingly, despite gaining a reputation as an attacking manager, Lopetegui often does not get credit for coaching watertight defences, which will bode well for West Ham, considering their awful defensive showings last term.
Lopetegui’s 2019/20 Sevilla team were well-respected for their attacking intent but still managed to keep 17 clean sheets in 38 league games while conceding less than a goal per game.
Only Atletico Madrid (27) conceded fewer goals than the Andalusians (34) that season.
From the start of 2019/20 until the end of 2021/22, Sevilla kept 73 clean sheets in 160 games across all competitions.
They recorded shut-outs in 45.6% of their matches, second only to Manchester City (46.1%) in Europe’s top five leagues.
West Ham have some exciting players who will be pivotal pieces of Lopetegui’s puzzle heading into the season.
Defensive midfielder Edson Alvarez, attacking sensation Luis Guilherme, Paqueta (if they can keep him and he avoids a lengthy ban), Kudus, and new signing Max Kilman are a sensational foundation to build upon.
However, West Ham must make more additions to bolster the squad before they can dream of breaking into the top four.
Dipping into the transfer market
The acquisition of Kilman from Wolves was a coup for the Hammers, considering his quality and previous experience working under Lopetegui.
Despite being left-footed, he can slot in on the left or right side of the defence, giving the manager options.
Lopetegui might consider selling one of Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma to sign another defensive partner for Kilman. This new defensive addition must be solid at his primary duties while being excellent on the ball.
In the right-back area, West Ham need to upgrade on the ageing Vladimir Coufal. He turns 32 next month, and with Ben Johnson gone, West Ham must find a successor.
West Ham also must wake up to the possibility that Paqueta could receive a hefty suspension for his alleged breach of the Premier League’s betting rules.
The Hammers need to attack the market for another playmaker capable of splitting opposition defences while grafting hard for the team defensively.
Up top, West Ham continue to search for a centre-forward to take the torch from Antonio. Alexander Sorloth, Simon Banza, and Youssef En-Nesyri are on the transfer shortlist, but the club has not pinpointed their primary target.
However, West Ham’s long-term interest in En-Nesyri and his previous working relationship with Lopetegui give him the edge.
Can Lopetegui eclipse Moyes and make West Ham top four contenders?
Lopetegui’s arrival promises a more exciting brand of football, but achieving a top-four finish with West Ham might be a bridge too far, at least in the immediate future.
The Premier League is a ruthless battleground. Established giants like Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Manchester United are all vying for those coveted Champions League spots.
Breaking into this elite group will be incredibly demanding, especially with a squad undergoing a tactical overhaul.
Besides, their squad lacks the depth of the top teams. Injuries or suspensions to key players could derail their ambitions.
Lopetegui also needs time to implement his philosophy and mould the squad into a cohesive unit. A transitional period with some stumbles is likely before they start consistently challenging the top dogs.
However, Lopetegui can still deliver significant success for West Ham. A return to European competition is a realistic target.
With Lopetegui’s experience and West Ham’s established core, they can become a consistent Europa League contender, potentially challenging for the title in the coming years.
Meanwhile, fans yearning for attacking football will be delighted. Lopetegui’s possession-based style will be a breath of fresh air compared to Moyes’ pragmatic approach.
