Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer praised Julen Lopetegui for his half-time changes during last weekend’s game against Manchester United after the ‘awful’ first 45 minutes.
The Irons managed their third victory of the season, coming in the ‘El Sackio’ against Manchester United thanks to second-half goals from Crysencio Summerville and a penalty from Jarrod Bowen.
Three points did not look likely during the first half as the Red Devils had the upper hand throughout, narrowly missing a big chance which rattled the bar from forward Alejandro Garnacho. However, thanks to some substitutions during the break, Lopetegui’s side managed to turn the tide.
The Spaniard brought Summerville, Jean-Clair Todibo and Tomas Soucek into the game, a move which Shearer commended during an appearance on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“Well done to Lopetegui because his team were rotten in the first half. They were awful,” he said
“But he made three changes at half-time. Came out with a lot more energy. Created some more chances. Were much better in that second half.”
Lopetegui claws back hope
Despite the tough start and less-than-impressive performances so far this season, Lopetegui showed he has the tactical nouse to turn a game on its head and give his side the momentum they need to win games.
This is exactly what he did against United. Bringing on Todibo, Soucek and Summerville gave the team a better defensive structure and a more dangerous threat upfront, which was personified by Summerville’s well-poached goal in the 74th minute.
Summerville was the stand-out player from the three and was awarded a 7.8 match rating from Sofascore after picking up a goal, three successful dribbles from three attempts, three key passes and five of six ground duels won.
This gave Summerville his first Premier League goal for the Irons and his manager a headache when picking his next starting eleven. We here at ForeverWestHam have been calling for Summerville to start and look forward to seeing this moving forward.
There are plenty of big games ahead for Lopetegui and his job security will still be on thin ice until we see consistent performances like the second half against United.
This win will bring confidence to the team and manager, which can be the difference between a midtable finish and fighting for Europe.
