West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui insists he has not been distracted by speculation he is facing a must-win match on Monday Night Football, instead saying his focus is simply on beating Wolves, rather than worrying about his job.
West Ham board members met this week to discuss the future of their head coach after the midweek 3-1 loss at relegation-threatened Leicester which followed on from the 5-2 defeat at home to Arsenal.
Lopetegui has remained in charge for now – but Monday’s match at the London Stadium is being billed as a cup final for him.
However, the Spaniard is adamant he has not been distracted by off-field matters.
“The past 24 hours? We’ve tried to take advantage, do our work and develop our first aim and responsibility: to compete in the next challenge we have,” he said in Friday’s press conference.
Asked whether he has been given one game to save his job, he said: “I was not thinking of this. I was thinking we have one very important challenge on Monday against a good team who deserve much more points than they have now.
“We have to be focused to have [a] good answer [for Wolves] and develop our work until Monday and be ready to give our fans [a] good day. That’s our focus.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Leicester City’s match against West Ham in the Premier League
“I understand all the things around football and how my main responsibility is to be ready to face a tough, hard match – but in the same way a big opportunity for us at home. To be ready to achieve three points, against a good team.
“For sure we aren’t happy and the fans are right. Until now they give us much more than we give them and we have to change this.”
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Lopetegui also dismissed suggestions he had a serious bust-up with defender Jean-Clair Todibo at half-time during the defeat to Arsenal.
“The things that happen in the dressing room have to stay in the dressing room. Always,” he said.
“I don’t know exactly what you want or thought but nothing important happened.”
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West Ham defender Max Kilman says the squad can turn their recent run of form around with pressure growing on Lopetegui
Lopetegui revealed he has been zoning in on the “little details” to try to shift West Ham’s momentum and was clear he would not be walking away from the challenge. Lopetegui left Monday’s opponents Wolves at the end of the 2022/23 season by mutual consent.
“You are talking about very, very different situations,” he said. “I have a big commitment in my work, always. I’m very happy to stay in West Ham, proud to stay in West Ham and we are going to change the situation.
“That’s why we are working to be ready on Monday against a big challenge we have in front of us against a good team.”
Ahead of the weekend, West Ham are just six points above the relegation zone but on the prospects of a quick turnaround in fortunes, Lopetegui said: “We have to be able to work under this pressure, to do our best is the only thing we can do.
“In this kind of moment of the season, five points difference is not a lot – and with five points more [you’re] fighting [at] the other end [of the table].”
