David Sullivan's decision on Julen Lopetegui explained as West Ham boss has to do something he's not done yet

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui is now facing a two-match make-or-break period, where he must save his job after what has been a disappointing start to life at the London Stadium. According to The Guardian, the former Real Madrid man now has to get the team to produce their best performance, with the club using the international break to look for possible replacements.

The game against Newcastle on Monday night is particularly important, as it's one that comes against a team West Ham feels they will be competing with for a European spot by the end of the season. A defeat against what the owners see as a direct rival could have greater ramifications for the manager, who reportedly has the backing of the club’s highest shareholder, David Sullivan.

One of the reasons for Sullivan’s backing is the fact that he simply doesn't like firing managers halfway through the season and is willing to give Lopetegui a chance to try and turn things around. However, even he knows that, given the quality of the squad, Lopetegui needs to get the team putting up consistent performances that will secure at least Europa Conference League football. West Ham has one of the best squads outside the top four, and given that they won the Conference League under David Moyes and have gotten used to playing in Europe.

The Hammers are currently five points above the bottom three after winning three of their 11 games, but the nature of the performances has got some of the fans worried. One of the reasons Lopetegui was hired was to introduce a brand of football that would be entertaining and modern, a departure from the style they enjoyed under Moyes. However, a closer look at his team shows they are somewhat similar to their former manager’s style, if not worse, as the results have shown. This is why the club feels that giving him the next two games, one against a direct rival and the other against an Arsenal side that has struggled to reproduce the form they showed last season, will be a fair test to see if he can get the players to fight for him.

The managers that have been considered

They have looked at former Dortmund manager Edin Terzic, who is currently without a job and would likely be happy to take the role. The club has also made internal checks on former Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand, former Benfica coach Roger Schmidt, and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness.

At this stage of the season, there are managers who are consistently being linked with the job, but as we speak, the manager’s position is still in his hands. It’s up to him to see if he can turn things around and get this team firing on all cylinders. Will he do it? The next two games will tell us what he’s made of.