Julen Lopetegui under pressure but West Ham defiant amid sack concerns

Julen Lopetegui has lost his first three home league games of the season.

The West Ham manager watched on from the London Stadium sidelines as Chelsea carved his Hammers wide open as the Blues cruised to a 3-0 win earlier on Saturday.

Two first-half goals from Nicolas Jackson set the tone before Cole Palmer added a third minutes into the second half.

Lopetegui’s obvious failure to get his side up for today’s Derby has left the Hammers licking their wounds as they slump to a disappointing 15th place in the table.

The 58-year-old’s abysmal start to the season, although fixtures have included two tough games against Aston Villa and defending champions Manchester City, has heaped the pressure on, and today’s latest defeat has only made matters worse.

West Ham refuse to sack Julen Lopetegui despite poor start to the season

However, according to a recent report from Football Insider, the West Ham board are in no rush to part ways with the Spaniard.

Despite the former Wolves boss spending well over £100 million on multiple top players, including attackers Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug, there is a sense of calm behind the scenes with Lopetgeui retaining the support of his employers.

In fact, as things stand, the Hammers’ hierarchy are determined to stick by their manager and remain hopeful results will soon improve.

West Ham’s next five Premier League fixtures will see the London side travel to cross-town rivals Brentford before travelling to Ipswich Town and then returning to London to play Spurs. From there, the Hammers will host Manchester United before travelling up north to play Nuno Espirito Santo Nottingham Forest at the start of November.