West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui insists he can learn from his mistakes as he prepares the Hammers for their League Cup third-round tie away to holders Liverpool, following a chastening defeat by Chelsea in the Premier League.
Lopetegui's men lost 3-0 to their London rivals on Saturday, with the 58-year-old Spaniard under fire for his tactics and team selection.
Anfield awaits ⏳ pic.twitter.com/aky7MeIRk4
— West Ham United (@WestHam) September 23, 2024
The former Spain and Real Madrid boss replaced Guido Rodriguez before halftime and later admitted he had erred in starting with the Argentina midfielder.
"We learn a lot from our mistakes," Lopetegui told a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
"But let me just say one thing. When you win you make mistakes too. When you lose you make mistakes. This is football.
"One thing that I say, that I make one mistake – and I have talked about this. Mistakes are a part of football.
"The more important thing is that we are able to do better. We have (made) a big commitment with the players, knowing that the most important thing is at the end of the season."
Julen Lopetegui does NOT face the immediate threat of the sack despite media reports saying he is the early candidate for the Premier League sack race.
— West Ham Football (@westhamfootball) September 24, 2024
While West Ham heiracy accept there have been some poor performances they point out that the new head coach is only five games… pic.twitter.com/6sV2BRggYr
West Ham, beaten in the League Cup quarterfinals by Liverpool last season, have lost all three home league games this season under Lopetegui, who replaced David Moyes in May.
The Hammers are currently 14th in the table, with four points from two away games – a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace and a 1-1 draw at Fulham.
"I told the media after (the Chelsea game) that the first person responsible was me. Always," Lopetegui said. "It happened and now we are focused on the next match.
"Mistakes are made by the coach. They are part of football because we make decisions – sometimes better, sometimes worse.
"But we have to keep making decisions to help the team to compete better. I am sure that the team is going to compete better and is going to arrive at the results and scores that we want."