West Ham’s appointment of Julen Lopetegui is a smart move. This is a coach with Premier League experience but one eager to show what he can do with more resources. In West Ham, he found a club willing to take a new approach.
David Moyes did well in his second spell, most memorably leading them to the European trophy. But there is an appetite for a more progressive style of play and Lopetegui’s record, particularly in Spain, suggests he can deliver it.
His short time at Wolves means he is a known quantity and while that may seem to count against him in the eyes of some supporters, it shouldn’t. His success in turning things around showed his motivational skills and his adaptability.
Rescue Act in Wolves
Gary O’Neill has rightly won praise for guiding Wolves to mid-table in a season in which relegation was seen as a threat but when Lopetegui took charge the threat was more than speculation – it was reality. Down on Christmas and five points from safety.
Lopetegui inherited a group of players who had not won all season. He converted that in his first game in charge and went on to record eight more wins to round out his season, eventually finishing above Moyes’ West Ham in the table.
Seven of those wins came without conceding a goal as he struggled defensively. The scale of the success is highlighted by the fact that Lopetegui boasts the best winning percentage of any Wolves manager in Premier League history.
The style of football was seen as practical but Lopetegui would point to dire situations when they came. ‘The middle of the storm’ as he put it. This was no vain plan designed to boost his reputation in England. Livelihoods were on the line.
The decision to leave Wolves has clearly had an impact on how supporters view his time there but Lopetegui sees it differently. He would argue that he didn’t leave because of a lack of trust in the team, it was just a trust issue with the owners.
The style of play at Sevilla
Although he has said that keeping Wolves was his most difficult achievement, his preferred style of play on the pitch can be seen in his three years at Sevilla. A Europa League and three consecutive top-four finishes show it worked.
During his last full season with Sevilla, they were second in La Liga at the end of February – nine points clear of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid – before injuries struck. They still finished the season with the best defensive record in the competition.
In doing so, he became the first coach to lead Sevilla to the Champions League in three consecutive seasons. He achieved them by building a much more fluid passing side. The emphasis on occupation increased and this change can be seen in the data.
He took a team that before his arrival had just 52% of the ball in the season and took it to an average of 60% over the following three campaigns, during which time only Real Madrid and Barcelona had more. . Seville
Which is why the suggestion that his football isn’t vastly different from Moyes’ is a little surprising. In Porto, for example, he was originally criticized for implementing a possession game that was considered too complicated for Portuguese tastes.
Ideas inspired by Cruyff
This is a coach who has seen Spain dominate world football in style of play. He led the U19 and U21 sides to European titles, the latter winning alongside Thiago Alcantara in midfield. It was easy for him to adopt this style. It was what he learned in Barcelona.
A former Real Madrid goalkeeper, he was taken to Barca by Johan Cruyff in 1994. It was a pivotal moment in Lopetegui’s career as it changed his thinking. Speaking to him about it in his office last year, he explained the impact Cruyff had on him.
“Johan was different,” Lopetegui said. “It started to make me think about why I was doing things as a goalkeeper and the solutions we were trying to find. It made me think about the answers in the play. Until that moment, I didn’t think, I just played.”
West Ham are getting a lot more from the former Wolves manager here. This is the man who went unbeaten in his two years as Spain manager, a record achieved despite playing away games against England, Italy, Germany, France and Belgium during that time.
His preference is for a high defensive line in a 4-3-3 formation with full-backs out wide and creative players working inside. Mohammed is already excited at the prospect of working with Quddus among others.
A coach is still willing to learn.
At 57, Lopetegui still wants to learn.
“A coach never stops,” he said. “Tomorrow, for sure, you’ll learn something new about your job. That’s one of the fun things about this job because there’s new information to learn every day. That’s what makes it so interesting.”
Her English has improved after living in the country until January before moving closer to her family in Spain. Interestingly, along with seminars with young coaches, he has also met with the PGMOL in an effort to stay on top of law changes in the game.
There is still time to return to football. Monchi, his sporting director at Sevilla, who now works at Aston Villa, is surprised the club has taken so long to make a move for him. West Ham are the beneficiaries. Lopetegui is expected to bring the change the fans want.
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