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Episode 030 - Will Julen Lopetegui survive a visit from Everton? Match Prediction
15 Plays1 month ago
Tom and Jacob discuss the bleak affairs at West Ham at the moment and the chances of Julen Lopetegui having a job if this game goes poorly. Can we pull off a much needed win to keep Lopetegui in the job for another week?
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Transcript
Introduction and Game Setup
00:00:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello guys, and welcome back to another episode of the Daily GSPM West Ham Podcast. Today I'm joined by Jacob. Say hello, mate.
00:00:16
Jacob
Hello, how are we doing?
00:00:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay.
Pressure on Lopategi
00:00:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
So today's podcast, we're going to be discussing the game that's coming up at the weekend, Everton versus West Ham. This is a really big one. I have a suspicion that if Lopategi performs poorly and this West Ham team performs poorly, there's quite a hard high chance of him
Importance of Winning for West Ham
00:00:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
getting this sack.
00:00:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
What do you think?
00:00:37
Jacob
Yeah, I think that after what we saw in the last game, I think that He's going to have so much pressure on him you know from the the fans, from the board. And I think that might be the but sort of turning point you know if we don't come away with something.
West Ham's Identity and Style
00:00:58
Jacob
It's such a winnable game. you know It's one of those games where we have to pick up points when we're losing against you know the Spurs and the
00:01:11
Jacob
Liverpool's and the Man City's you know we have to um we have to be picking up three points against the likes of Everton so you know we want a good performance and hopefully come away with all three and you know then at least Lopategi's job is secure for another week
00:01:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. what So what do you think we
Expectations Under Lopategi
00:01:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
have to see from this West Ham team that makes it difficult to sack Lopategi? Because obviously no one actually knows what's going to happen. And there's going to be many discussions happening behind closed doors. And there there has been a lot of discussion currently about whether he's the right man. I know there's been some discussion about whether Tim Stiven is happy with the current situation ah going on at West Ham. So yeah, what do you think Lopategi has to do in order to not get sacked?
00:02:01
Jacob
um i just
Comparing Managers: Lopategi vs. Moyes
00:02:03
Jacob
I don't know what it is, but we were all expecting this certain way that he was going to come in and set up the team and and make them play. But we haven't seen it. We've had we've we've seen a slight increase in the overall possession um that we had had previously with David Moyes.
00:02:27
Jacob
but and There hasn't really been any kind of visible and style of play. ah As far as I can see, like there's been no personalised method that he's brought in, I can see. And it just it just
West Ham's Home Advantage
00:02:45
Jacob
makes us look like we don't know what we're doing half the time. There's no identity. It doesn't look like there's any clear message of, I need you to go out and do this and, you know,
00:02:58
Jacob
counter-attack and all this kind of thing. like I think that that is crucial. um you know We saw it with Moyes, he had a very specific way of playing and yeah it didn't always work but at least he stuck by it and um ah on occasion it did work for us very well.
00:03:22
Jacob
um So I think that's something that we need to see more of. He needs to get his, i'm
Everton's Threat and Key Players
00:03:29
Jacob
he's you know, ideal way of playing across to those players so that the fans can go, yeah, you know what, he's got he's got an idea and this is what he wants to do. But at the moment we we just don't really see anything. It looks like they're figuring it out as they go along. um It all looks clunky and, you know,
00:03:52
Jacob
we don't keep the ball particularly well and we give it away easily. And yeah, we that's just what we need to see, a bit of identity, I think.
00:04:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I agree. I think if we lose to an Everton team who have only got nine points out of 10 games so far this season, don't show any sort of identity, don't show that we're trying to play a certain way. I can't see it really working for him, to be honest. like If you can't even show that he's going in a positive direction against this Everton team, like what other opportunities are we going to have to do that?
00:04:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
say Yeah, I feel like we have to perform well. We have to show that we have been working on the training ground at a system that is gonna be positive going forwards because it just becomes increasingly difficult to defend the performances that we're seeing when it's kind of week after week after week, there's no improvement.
00:04:47
Jacob
Yeah.
00:04:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
There's,
Importance of Home Performance
00:04:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know, the squad is becoming increasingly frustrated and all the conversations that are happening about multiple people in the backroom staff, it's just, culminating in the season getting worse and worse and worse and we don't want to get to the point where it's so bad that we're a complete mess and you know at the end of the season we have loads of players that leave and then who does come in as manager it's it's a really tricky situation so Yeah, I think we have to minimum perform well. And I think realistically, we need to get some points from the game. If we lose, it's really bad. And it just becomes basically impossible to defend Lopategi at this point. How much do you think Everton are going to pose a
Preferred Lineup and Strategies
00:05:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
threat? Obviously, they've not been amazing this season, but then neither have we.
00:05:41
Jacob
I think that they've got a lot of threat, to be honest. I think with every team that we've faced, there's been a threat, ah you know, um um especially with them, with the likes of Undie and Calvert Lewin, you know, these are players that can bring a little bit of magic. i'm They may not always be performing at the top level, but we've seen You know, we've seen what can happen. You just switch off for a second and we're, you know, we're three one behind and they have individuals that could punish us if we're not concentrated and we're not performing how we should be. Um, so I don't think by any means it's a walk in the park for us. You know, we've, we've seen it.
00:06:36
Jacob
so far that you know we go into a game and we feel really confident, we've got the better players, on paper we should win and then we don't come away with it and we don't know how. um So as long as it is in that situation again, we can be pleased, but there is threat there. and Do you think there is? Do you think they they pose us so some issues?
00:07:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
I feel like maybe it's a ah relatively similar situation that we're facing that as a unit, we don't seem to be that threatening, but you know any team in the Premier League has got players that can on their day make a massive impact. like I think particularly Dwight McNeil is someone that I've always admired. ah We've been linked with him a couple of times and I've always wished that we could have signed him because he he is a very good Premier League player and he performs pretty consistently every year.
00:07:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
And when you do have players like that in the squad on the pitch, anything can happen. And my worry is the fact that we have been starting so poorly. We can see there's so many early goals that I don't want to get to the point where we get into the same situation against Forest where we have such a poor first half, we go down and then frustration happens. And as soon as we've become frustrated in games, it' everything's just completely gone. So and in this game, we really can't afford that because to salvage any sort of anything from the situation in general. We have to make sure that we don't concede early and we have to play well from the first minute.
00:08:09
Jacob
Yeah, a hundred times.
00:08:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
because I just don't know how many games we can consistently start poorly and nothing change about it. And it just comes back to Lopategi. It's like, what is what is happening in training? What conversations are being had with the squad and the players to get them mentally in that mindset to perform from the first minute? Because yeah, like we say in the Premier League, there are so many players that can expose you and can make you look like a fool, especially if we're not up to scratch.
00:08:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
um We are at home, which I think is an advantage. Going away, I think, against Everton would be really tough. So we are at home. If we can try and just get behind the boys, I think there is something to be had from this game because it is very much getting to the point where it is last chance for Lopategi. So you would think that he's starting to do more to get the most out of the players. So, yeah, it's a really important game. OK, we're going to go to our first advert and when we get
Midfield Selection Challenges
00:09:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
back, we're going to give the lineup that we want to start this game.
00:09:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, so let's start going through the lineup. Who would you like to see in goal?
00:09:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
okay so let's start going through the line ah who would you like seeing go
00:09:34
Jacob
um i
00:09:38
Jacob
ideally if Ariola was available, I would pick Ariola. I don't know what the what the issue is with Ariola at the moment. Is he injured?
00:09:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't think he's injured. I think it was just because of the amount of goals that we conceded, we brought Fabiansky in and then he played kind of pretty well.
00:09:53
Jacob
Yeah.
00:09:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
So he got to keep that spot in the next game. so
00:09:59
Jacob
Yeah, I personally would would still choose Ariola, but I think that Fabianski Fabianski has more than earned his place and he will most likely play again. um I'd still payke pick Ariola.
00:10:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah I actually think I disagree. I think Fabianski has played really well over the past few games, one of the few players who's actually played relatively well. um So he deserves to keep his starting place. I also think with the vast amount of experience he has in the Premier League, I think it's a good time to lean on that a little bit. I know he's going to be such a positive influence in the dressing room and you know, in the like pre-match preparations and even on game day itself, his presence as such a veteran on the Premier League, I think, is something that, you know, at this point, we we have to rely on every asset that we have. And I think he definitely is one because of all of that experience. So I think I'd go with him. But either way, they they're both very dependable keepers. Okay, so let's move to the
Impact of Injuries and Suspensions
00:11:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
back four. Give me your whole back four. Who do you want to see start?
00:11:06
Jacob
um I would like to see um Emerson Wambasaka and then it's a bit difficult because I've been seeing some people potentially saying that it might be a back five for this game. I'm not sure if that's going to happen or not but we'll assume not um and I would say Kilman and Tadebo for me. I know it's it's a similar thing like Fabiansky and Ariola, but and I think I would still rather have Tadebo over Mavropanos in there. Just because of the ball-playing ability that he brings, the calmness, and I'd rather have him in personally.
00:11:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I completely agree with that whole back four, to be honest. I hadn't even really considered the back five situation, I think, because of how poorly it went in the last game. I've not even really considered it as a viable option.
00:12:08
Jacob
Yeah.
00:12:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
I just don't think there's any point. We've not played like that at all, really, this season. So the fact that we did go to it was very strange and I wouldn't really like to venture that way again. Yeah, I think this is the strongest back four we have at the moment and there's not really much else you can do other than play your best players.
00:12:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I think because we've been playing so poorly, you have to kind of rely on just picking the best players.
00:12:28
Jacob
like
00:12:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
If yeah're if no one's performing well, there's not really much else you can do. um if we do play well and i'd really like to see a clean sheet this could be the start of us starting to salvage a bit of respect for our defense because this season so far has been really poor um so you know play the best players and hopefully they can perform and if they do it's positive for the next game um the tadebo oh not the yeah the tadebo and macro panels conversation it's an interesting one again because all of our players have been pretty lackluster.
00:13:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
There's kind of, who would you want to pick put in there? To me, it doesn't matter too much. I just think because we bought Tadebo in, I think we start and then we try to cultivate that partnership with Tadebo and Max Killman.
00:13:21
Jacob
Yeah, definitely.
00:13:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, let's move into the midfield. What does your midfield look like? I'm guessing you're going with a three or are you going with a two and then one slightly further forward?
00:13:29
Jacob
Yeah, so, um,
Match Predictions against Everton
00:13:32
Jacob
what I'd like to see would be, um, Soucek, Alvarez and Paqueta as my three in midfield.
00:13:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah,
00:13:43
Jacob
I know that Paqueta has not really, um, It's not going to be Alvarez, is it? He's banned. It can't be Alvarez.
00:13:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah yeah um gonna say and I would love one algorithm in there as well, but he unfortunately can't play it.
00:13:55
Jacob
Yeah, sorry. OK, that's that's that's ah that's obviously what I was saying. um So it's going to be. I would have thought Rodriguez, Sue check and Paqueta.
00:14:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:14:10
Jacob
He may go for Solaire over. Paqueta or Sue check, um but personally, I would I would have those three in there.
00:14:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:14:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I completely agree. It's when we have got such a pivotal player suspended, it kind of makes the decision a lot easier. I think that's our strongest midfield right now. I think we do Rodriguez has been good at points. Sometimes he's he's looked like he's not really been able to get up to speed with some games. Soo check has been quite good. I think when he has played, he's looked decent. And then as a weird one, isn't it? He's just not been the player that we know him to be. He has been in like little spurts. I think he was good against Ipswich, but then a lot of our players were and I think it's easy to look good against Ipswich because they don't really have that sort of Premier League experience. So yeah, hopefully we can get a performance. it so The whole lineup is kind of
00:15:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's slightly depressing because of how poor we've been playing over the past couple of games and obviously we beat Man United which was good but the performance wasn't scintillating and then the kind of capitulation against forests and the how poor we were in the first half.
00:15:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
makes me slightly more pessimistic about the whole situation but I think that's our strongest midfield and that is a good midfield like on its day if we can play well that is ah a really solid midfield and it's not not one that fills me with worry and the ability for Carlos Soler to kind of slot into probably most of those three positions I think is is good it fills me with a relatively decent amount of confidence Okay, we're going to go to the second advert now and when we get back, we're going to talk about our forward line and then give our match predictions. so
00:16:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, so knowing now that Kudos' suspension has been, there's been an increase to it. Sorry, I didn't know where the words were there. um How do you feel about the front three that we're left with?
00:16:22
Jacob
a
00:16:27
Jacob
um Well, I mean, if we're just talking about this game, then it could be worse. It could be against somebody with a more and resilient defense. So it's not the worst situation we could be in. um but obviously losing
Final Thoughts and Lopategi's Future
00:16:50
Jacob
him for longer than we would have liked is never good. um Probably justified as well, like I don't think he was going to get away that lightly with the way he acted. um So my my three that I would go for would be, it might sound a little bit rogue, um but I would go Danny Ings, Somerville and Bowen, Somerville on the left, Bowen on the right,
00:17:18
Jacob
I think Ings has shown his ability coming off the bench and I think he has more in the tank than Antonio does and I think that he probably deserves to start at this point and then use, like we said before, use Antonio as the impact player.
00:17:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I completely agree with that. but That's actually what I was going to say when you know we've had Antonio up front. He started basically every game and we've struggled so much in the first half of games. so You know, if it's not working, I think we should change it. And Danny Ings has come on and he has repeatedly made impact. So I think changing it up and giving someone who has looked, you know, slightly better than what has been on the pitch, you know, when he's come on, I think is a good option. And exactly like you say, the ability to bring Antonio off the bench is so strong.
00:18:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
and I know I've spoken about it before, but the way that he plays his physical style is so, I feel like can be so effective off of the bench, especially when he's playing against tired defenders, you know, and Everton's defence isn't the most solid.
00:18:21
Jacob
Yeah.
00:18:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
So I think that's probably the best way to go. And then Somerville and Bowen, it kind of writes itself when Kudos is still suspended. um I'm just hoping that we can see something from both of them. I'm hoping for a bit of bow and magic. I know he's done it for us so many times before. Hopefully he can just get on the ball and make something happen because that's something that we've always relied on probably more than we should, but we've consistently seen him make big impacts in big games. And this is a big game. it's It is very much season defining for us, I think, because if we lose this game,
00:19:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
well what hope is there under Lopategi, there's not really a lot. So I think Lopategi will probably be feeling the same thing, that he can rely on his Captain Bowen so to make a positive impact. And it's kind of similar with Somerville, not necessarily someone that we've seen a huge amount of, but when he has played, he has looked good. And I think if we can just give him the the ability to roam and occupy that space that you know he especially against man united that when he came on he played a lot further wide and was able to cut in and he had the ability to pick the ball up from a bit deeper and that seems like his more natural position i don't like the the formation that we used in the last game having him tucked in a little bit closer it didn't really seem to suit his strengths of you know his his pace and his acceleration and his desire to beat a man so so yeah it's
00:19:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
The team itself isn't bad. It's just when we have consistently performed so poorly, you wonder what it is that's going to change or what it is that's going to make the difference. So hopefully someone kind of takes the reins and decides to kind of buck their ideas up and get a result and make something happen in this game. Give me your match predictions.
00:20:18
Jacob
um I think that we, hopefully what um'm what I'm foreseeing is that we're going to start quickly out of the blocks and I think we're going to come away with a 3-1 win. I think we're going to get an early goal and then Everton will find a way to peg one back and then we'll try and utilize the strength of the bench and you know get another two goals towards the end okay
00:20:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, ah that would be amazing. I'm maybe slightly more pessimistic. I think, well, I think 2-0, but I don't think we're going to play amazingly, especially in the first half. I think we're going to start in a similar way that we have done before where it just doesn't look solid. We don't look like we're straight in at 100% Premier League ready level. I think we're going to start slowly, but Everton's lack of quality across the park, I think is going to Enable us to kind of hold out just about until halftime Probably be some changes because that always seems to happen at halftime and then we come out and we'll be a lot better And then I think in the second half we are able to take control Score up an early goal in the second half and then some point after 70 minutes. I think we get another one um Maybe extra time there's been you know about a million goals in extra time this season So maybe we could get one I think 2-0
00:21:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're going to get a clean sheet, which is going to do wonders for our defense, hopefully start the formation of a really solid defensive line and give some confidence to other players who are able to get involved in the game. I also think that Jared Bowen is going to get a goal or assist because he seems to be the one that is there for us when we really need him. so So yeah, I'm maybe slightly, I don't know, naive, maybe just hopeful that we can get something out of this game, but I think we have to. And if we if we don't, it it is really bleak. I don't really know where we go from there if we do lose. And it's, I don't know what other conversations you can have about anything other than what is Lopatei doing to make it so poor, you know?
00:22:37
Jacob
Yeah, I think we've just got to basically keep hoping at this point. And yeah, yeah.
00:22:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
And we just have to go for it. Players just have to go for it.
00:22:45
Jacob
um And yeah, I'm on just praying that he has drilled that message into them that, you know, my job is on the line here. Your reputations are on the line here.
00:22:57
Jacob
So yeah, we need something. Definitely.
00:23:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, and hopefully we can turn that frustration into energy and into passion instead of it overwhelming us. Let's utilize it and let's turn it into positive performances.
00:23:10
Jacob
Definitely. All right, well, thank you all very much for listening um to this GSPN Daily West End podcast. ah Please say goodbye, Tom.
00:23:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Good bye, guys.
00:23:22
Jacob
um Please rate this podcast five stars, if you wouldn't mind. Check out all of our social media that's linked in the description and also all the other podcasts under the GSPN network, including fantasy football pod, women's football pod, wrap up pods in multiple different languages, and all the other ah Premier League teams, daily pods as well. And thank you for listening.