There may be a new coach in the home dugout of the London Stadium but old problems are running deep for West Ham.
Under previous boss David Moyes they went 18 games without a clean sheet in the second half of last season. Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa means it is now 19 straight Premier League matches without one, their last coming against Brighton in January.
Lopetegui’s side conceded the first goal after just three minutes and 40 seconds, with Villa midfielder Amadou Onana allowed a free header from just two yards out. West Ham’s defence was cut open far too easily time and time again and, had Villa been more clinical, the scoreline could easily have been more damning.
It is no surprise Loptegeui and the club’s technical director Tim Steidten, who is in charge of transfers, identified the defence as a key area for improvement.
The club has brought in three new defenders this summer, though only one - £40million Max Kilman - started on Saturday. Jean-Clair Todibo, who is on a season-long loan from Nice, came on for the last five minutes while Aaron Wan-Bissaka was an unused substitute. Neither player was deemed ready to play 90 minutes, in fact Loptegeui only started two of his eight new signings, with midfielder Guido Rodriguez the other.
Julen Lopetegui could only watch on as West Ham conceded inside five minutes
West Ham target Jhon Duran scored the winner for Aston Villa
Vladimir Coufal started at right-back despite the arrival of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United
‘There are a lot of new players but a lot of them arrived very late,’ Lopetegui said.
‘We have to manage this for sure and we have players who are not ready to play 90 minutes.
‘We had to change some important players but it's a chance for the new players to show they are here to be competitive and make us better. The signings, there are different timings for all of them and we have to help them to adapt.’
Rodriguez was substituted in the 85th minute after a mixed debut. At times, the holding midfielder looked as if he was lacking in match sharpness and struggled to keep up with the pace of the game, but he was not the only one. There is a feeling West Ham’s pre-season trip to the United States was too long and that Lopetegui would have liked another friendly before the start of the Premier League season. On Saturday’s evidence, his instincts were correct.
Rordriguez, who joined on a free transfer from Real Betis, is someone the club have high hopes for. Moyes blamed West Ham’s defensive struggles last season on the departure of Declan Rice and his ability to protect the back four. Rodriguez is tasked with filling that role, though Edson Alvarez, who is close to returning from a hamstring injury, may be a better midfield partner for the Argentine than Tomas Soucek.
It seems likely Todibo and Wan-Bissaka will come into the starting XI for next weekend’s trip to Crystal Palace but Loptegeui may also look to freshen up the attacking areas with some of his new signings. Crysensio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug both looked lively when they came on and nearly combined for an equaliser late in the second half.
With £120million already spent in this window, West Ham may not yet be done in the transfer market - with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Carlos Soler a player on their radar. Saturday showed it may take Loptegeui time to fit all of his new signings into the West Ham jigsaw.