West Ham United

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester United (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On Mohamed Kudus's suspension: "His behaviour was not good and he knows that. He knows he has to improve his temperament because this can't happen. I am sure this will be the last time it happens."

• He didn't give any hints as to who may replace the Ghana playmaker in the team: "We have players ready to play for him. I am sure the player who is going to play in his place is going to do well. It's sometimes that one's problem is another's opportunity and I hope that is the case."

• When asked if he's feeling any pressure after a poor start in the Premier League: "When you become a coach, you live with pressure always. It's that kind of life. We didn't have the best start or [the] start we wanted to have, but we are sure we are taking steps to arrive at the end of the season in the position we want to be. The only way is to work hard and try to silence the critics by improving."

• On his opponents: "It is very clear they have one way to play, to attack, to defend and we have to analyse that to beat them."

• On why his team have been inconsistent: "We are playing against different teams and each match has had key moments. We have to try to have more consistency and to play better. I can imagine how this team can develop and what it can do and we are going to work to make this real as soon as possible."

• On the team's defensive troubles: "The defensive work is the work of the whole team. We have talked about this, to be more consistent, and to be more aggressive in our box. I am sure we are going to find this level."

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Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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West Ham's hierarchy have been supportive of Julen Lopetegui during his troubled tenure at the club.

So far, many of the club's new signings have not really bedded in, there has been no obvious transition in style from the David Moyes era, which many fans believed had run its course anyway, and results have not been great.

Even the two Premier League wins have been against underwhelming opponents in Crystal Palace and Ipswich.

What Lopetegui could really do with is a statement success against one of the bigger clubs.

But so far, matches against Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham in the Premier League have brought zero points and a combined score of 10-2. In addition, the Hammers lost 5-1 at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

Manchester United's arrival at the London Stadium offers an opportunity to change the narrative. It is not as though Erik ten Hag's side have been playing well and they have a Thursday night European engagement in Turkey with an injury-hit squad to deal with.

If ever there was a time for Lopetegui to inspire a success, this is it.

Former Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic is a candidate for the West Ham job if the Hammers sack Julen Lopetegui. (Florian Plettenberg), external

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James Jones
Fan writer

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It is little wonder Saturday's defeat to Tottenham was met with further calls for the club to part ways with Julen Lopetegui after just 10 games in all competitions. Many insist it just will not get any better under the Spaniard and claim to have seen enough to warrant another change of manager.

But my question to those fans is this: If the club sacks him after three wins in 10 games, how long does the next manager get before you start calling for him to go?

What happens if he also delivers three wins from his first 10 games? How many managers do we need to go through before we accept 10 games is not nearly enough time to make a definitive judgment on the manager's ability to succeed?

Here is what most fans are forgetting - when David Moyes returned to the club for his second spell, he oversaw just two wins in his first 10 games in all competitions. That's one fewer than Lopetegui.

In that time, we lost to Sheffield United, Leicester City and West Brom in the FA Cup. We went from 16th in the Premier League table to 18th. Where we would be and what would we have missed out on had we sacked Moyes after those 10 games? It does not bear thinking about, yet the stakes were a lot higher then than they are now. Still, Moyes was given more time to get things working, and boy did he do that!

So that's why I am calling for more patience with Lopetegui. He has only lost to teams who finished in last season's top six and has had just one window to overhaul an old, thin squad and completely change the style of play. It needs much more than 10 games for that to work.

Yes, it has been frustrating up to this point and there are lots of issues that need addressing, but a change in manager does not necessarily fix those issues. All it does is take us back to where we started, from scratch once again. I am not saying Lopetegui is a guarantee but it would be absurd to sack him now.

A lack of patience in the short term to get things working only serves to appease those who expect success immediately, without compromise. Sometimes you have take one step back to take two steps forward.

That's where we are right now.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

Julen Lopetegui is not in imminent danger of being sacked as West Ham manager despite the club's poor start to the season. (Guardian), external

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Football is full of highs.

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And lows.

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Controversy takes hold.

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Moments of madness do too.

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Players become unexpected heroes.

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Some never change.

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There's pain.

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Joy too.

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And, given this ebb and flow of emotion, every so often, even the coolest heads boil over.

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Tottenham and West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Spurs fans

Chris: This was more like the Spurs we want and expect. After all the attacking pressure in the first half, getting the equaliser was really important. Then the start of the second half was amazing and probably should have seen more Spurs goals.

Silvia: Loved the game! Almost a throwback to old derbies we used to get. I felt we were always in the game, even when we went a goal down. We've got a bit of swagger about us at the moment. I know people will say it's only West Ham, but a London derby is always a potential upset. Proud Spurs fan.

Simon: Against Brighton, Ange Postecoglou was way too slow to respond to Brighton's tactical change in the second half. There's always been a worry that Ange, much as we love him, is a bit of a one-trick pony. Against West Ham, he showed he can analyse a game and make the right tactical call when needed.

West Ham fans

Ken: This really was one of the worst team performances I've seen from a Hammers side. It's as though the manager can't get his ideas over to the team, or they either don't understand what he wants or can't bother to perform for him. Truly dreadful in the second half.

Grant: He has to drop Alphonse Areola. A poor keeper who uses his feet when he should use his hands and has very poor distribution. We have good individuals but we are not playing as a team. Ange schooled Julen Lopetegui today with his tactics and team set-up. Big improvements needed or this will be a season where we are battling relegation instead of fighting for Europe.

Gerald: Lively from the start. It was always going to be tough to defend against a side like Tottenham. As soon as they scored, they played deeper and deeper. It needed a change at half-time as the shape looked off and heads dropped quickly and we conceded a rout. The game was over in the space of 10 minutes. Another poor result while playing a passing style.