West Ham United host Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League this weekend, but could the fixture spell the end of either Julen Lopetegui or Gary O’Neil’s reign with their respective clubs?
Premier League fans have been treated to some breathtaking games this season, as the league looks to be in its best shape lately. Monday Night Football is treating us to a classic, as the two most under-pressure coaches in the league, face off.
Last weekend, both sides were defeated in their games. West Ham were at the back end of a loss against a revitalized Leicester. Whilst Wolves were comfortably dispatched by Everton at Goodison Park.
Both these losses were followed by expected reports regarding the mounting pressure that looks to be increasing game by game.
From Wolves’ point of view, It was reported that “Gary O’Neil is now coming under increasing pressure to keep his job as Wolves manager” which was followed by “Results have to improve in the very near future, or he’s gone.”
Julen Lopetigui was also at the back of reports about his near future. As it was reported by Fabrizio Romano “West Ham are prepared to give Julen Lopetegui one more chance as he’s being confirmed to lead the squad against Wolves.”
However, this was followed by “Spanish manager remains under serious pressure, with several candidates being considered in case situation does not change.”
Therefore, this weekend’s game looks to be do or die for both of them, as they look to be on very thin ice. What can we expect from this game though? Will we see a reaction for either side or is their futures written on the wall?
Have they lost the dressing room?
The pressure is on this weekend, and when the lights shine the brightest, the side with the most character and unity ends up on top. Where is each team morally and psychologically then?
Although Wolves are in a worse state in the league currently, nothing has emerged that there is unrest in the dressing room. What was apparent though, was the fans’ displeasure following the game at Merseyside against Everton as the away end looked to have had enough and lost patience too.
West Ham and the Spanish coach were also met with fury from their supporters, as the famous song was sung, however by the wrong end. This is an indication of the tolerance slowly but surely fading away.
What to expect from the game
Let’s begin with both sides’ attacking threat, as this is where games are won at the end of the day, but what are the numbers saying?
The visitors have scored 22 goals this season in the Premier League, with new signing, Jorgen Strand Larsen contributing with six goals, whilst the veteran Matheus Cunha found the back of the net seven times. The duo have contributed to 59% of Wolves’ goals.
Let’s dive deeper, how often are they creating quality chances? Well, Wolves rank 19th as the side that has ranked up the second-lowest XG (expected goals) this season. Surprisingly only behind newly promoted side, Ipswich with (12.9) Wolves have accumulated (13.51).
Ironically this means that they are the best side in the Premier League first regarding their XG overperformance. Therefore, we can conclude that they may not create the clearest of opportunities. However, they are extremely clinical in front of goal.
In regards to the hosts, West Ham have underperformed on their expected goals, ranking up a 21xg. They have only found the back of the net only 18 times, which is quite surprising due to the number of quality attacking players they have at their disposal.
Moving on to the defensive side of things, Wolves rank 20th for goals conceded, taking the ball out of their net on 34 different occasions. They also rank 15th for expected goals conceded, which indicates that they are conceding good-quality chances.
As for West Ham, they rank only two places below Wolves (18th) for goals conceded. With 27, while having a worse expected goals conceded rank, 16th accumulating 25.6.
Following the stats above, what we can expect is goals. Of course that depends on several factors. However, the numbers show that these are two of the lowest-performing defensive sides in the league.
Along with, depending on the depth of the issues that lie inside the dressing rooms of both sides. We could witness a complete collapse on Monday night.
Verdict
Overall, the likely scenario is that both clubs’ managers won’t be in charge by the end of the season. Therefore, this game could end up quite underwhelming.
However, leave it to the Premier League to grace us with even more surprises. That in itself cannot be taken for granted.