Reports are already swirling that West Ham United might sack manager Julen Lopetegui, should the next couple of matches not yield results. Does that seem premature? Maybe a little, but someone has to be the next Premier League boss let go of his duties, after Manchester United canned Erik Ten Hag (who was a very strong favorite for that dubious distinction since early season).
The decision to replace David Moyes was somewhat controversial to begin with, and the idea to bring in Lopetegui, even more so.
West Ham United at Newcastle United FYIs
Kickoff: Mon. Nov. 25, 2024, at 8pm UK, St. James Park, Newcastle
Full Injury List: Newcastle West Ham
Starting XI Predictions: Newcastle West Ham
Google Result Probability: Newcastle 65% Draw 19% West Ham 16%
PL Position, Form Guide: Newcastle 8th, 18 pts, DLLWW Irons, 14th, 12 pts WLWLD
So a lot of people never thought this was even going to work in the first place.
Starting XI Prediction at Newcastle United
Alphonse Areola; Aaron Wan Bissaka, Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, Emerson Palmieri; Guido Rodriguez, Tomas Soucek; Crysencio Summnerville, Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta; Michael Antonio.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.