West Ham's win over Wolves has put pressure on head coach Julen Lopetegui, but the results in the upcoming games will be closely watched.
Lopetegui's future was on the line when his former team Wolves came to the London Stadium on Monday night, with the board seeing it as a cup final for the Spaniards.
However, a Jarrod Bowen won 2-1 has given him some breathing room and moved West Han nine points clear of the relegation zone.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from West Ham's Premier League win over Wolves
Those at the club who want a change of management are not getting away with a win over a struggling Wolves side – they are second in the table – and are still looking for consistent results and defensive improvement .
But it is recognized that the team stuck together in difficult circumstances to get the win after a difficult few days at the club after Michael Antonio's car accident.
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Tomas Soucek revealed that Michail Antonio spoke to the West Ham squad via video call ahead of their 2-1 win over Wolves in the Premier League.
West Ham's players will now have two days off before the trip to Bournemouth on Monday Football – live on Sky Sports.
West Ham will face Brighton and Southampton after the game at Bournemouth.
Lopetegui succeeded David Moyes this summer on a two-year contract, with the option of another year.
When the former Real Madrid boss was appointed by West Ham he was asked to do three things: integrate nine new signings – some without experience at the highest level – change the system they were playing in to give them more opportunities create and win games on one. a more consistent basis.
Lopetegui is fully aware that there is a lot of room for improvement but he believes he is hitting two of those three goals while also in the process of rebuilding.
What did Lopetegui say after Wolves won?
West Ham leader Julen Lopetegui:
“We are happy, we dedicate the victory to Michael and his family. It has been difficult in the last days – the last week – the last days especially. He deserves it We love Michail very much, he is a special person for us. I am sure he will overcome this bad moment and come back. Today is the best thing we can do. get a victory for it.
“We don't start well in the first half. We score a set piece goal, always important. The team showed character and good spirit (after the equalizer). This kind of mentality helps us to get more points.
“We deserved to win, we had a lot of chances, a lot of corners. We recovered from one bad moment.”
“Terzic will not replace Lopetegui if he is sacked”
Sky in Germany reports former boss of Borussia Dortmund Edin Terzic Lopetegui will not succeed if he is sacked.
Terzic, who was West Ham's former assistant manager under Slaven Bilic, is out of a job after leaving Dortmund in the summer after leading them to the Champions League final, which they lost to Real Madrid.
Sky in Germany understand that Kasper Hjulmand is a real option if Lopetegui is fired.
The Dane is out of work after stepping down as Denmark national team manager in the summer, but the 52-year-old has not managed at club level since 2019.
