Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Jason Cundy has claimed that the way West Ham United are set up under Julen Lopetegui is a more defensive approach than they had under David Moyes.
West Ham parted ways with Moyes in the summer, bidding farewell to a manager who had delivered a European trophy to the club, along with lofty finishes in the Premier League.
Former Wolves boss Lopetegui was brought in by West Ham, but he has had a tough start to life at the London Stadium and his team lost 4-1 away at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
West Ham led in the game, but once Spurs turned the match on its head and led themselves, looked all at sea.
Former Premier League defender Cundy thinks that the way Lopetegui sets up meant a comeback at Spurs was never on the agenda.
He stressed that the Spaniard’s approach is actually more defensive than the way Moyes set up.
“The problem West Ham have got, it’s all well and good setting up under Lopetegui when you take a 1-0 lead. If they equalise…”, Cundy said on talkSPORT’s GameDay Phone-In.
“You look at how high up the pitch they were, they were caught out of shape.
“Once they went 2-1 down…if you’re trailing and playing a game and you’re set up as a 4-5-1, which is pretty much what they were, then when you start having to change your tactics, personnel, the way you approach the game, you then leave yourself wide open.
“You’ve gone into it with one mindset and with 15 minutes of the second half you’re now chasing the game.
“When it went 3-1, West Ham were cooked.
“The way they set up under Lopetegui, it is, I think, more defensive than it is under David Moyes.”
West Ham will return to home comforts when they are next in action, but the visitors will be Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side.
