Premier League

JULEN LOPETEGUI always says he wants to be judged in May – but many will have made their minds up already.This drab and desperate performance only raised more questions over the Spaniard and his side.West Ham struggled to a 0-0 bore draw against EvertonCredit: RexJulen Lopetegui’s side once again failed to impressCredit: ReutersWhat is Lopetegui’s plan? Does it exist? Is anyone listening?Few answers were offered on a glum afternoon in East London.The under-fire manager will point to Everton star Jordan Pickford and his trio of smart saves from Guido Rodriguez and Danny Ings, but that is merely papering over ever-growing cracks.West Ham were lucky to escape with a point and the only thing they had to celebrate was a first home clean sheet since January.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe summer spend of £127.5million is an awful lot of money to spend in order to be this average.Lopetegui was without Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez through suspension but still had a side capable of offering much more than this.Hammers fans will have headed to Stratford hoping, if not quite expecting, to see a confidence boosting win over the Toffees.But, to the frustration of supporters and boss Lopetegui, what they were served up across a turgid first half was a display of utter incompetence.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSPasses found Everton shirts almost as regularly as they did claret and blue ones while there was a complete lack of ambition or quality on the ball.Sean Dyche’s side, without Dwight McNeil through injury, were creating more chances but hardly through being more adventurous.Meet the new Wags of the Premier League season, from a Belgian interior designer to a Portuguese modelFrom a West Ham attack the visitors broke and were only stopped from going ahead when Crysencio Summerville managed a last ditch challenge on Abdoulaye Doucoure.Iliman Ndiaye sent a shot from the edge of the box into the hands of Lukasz Fabianski, the 39-year-old still in ahead of Alphonse Areola.Under no pressure at all from Everton, happy to sit tight, the Hammers had no idea what to do with the ball at the back and struggled to get out.They managed to find a bit of space late in the first half, with Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio both having half-chances stopped by Jordan Pickford.Neither side bathed themselves in gloryCredit: AFPIt was a dull affair in the capitalCredit: PAThe display had been so insipid across the first 45 minutes that fans in the London Stadium did not even have the will to muster a proper boo at the break.Trying to inject some life into things after the restart, Guido Rodriguez ran onto a loose ball and cannoned it towards goal – only for Pickford to pull off a fine save and parry it clear.With neither side able to grasp any sort of control or momentum, Everton were then up the other end trying their luck.Vitalii Mykolenko slashed at an effort which was deflected behind before Jesper Lindstrom’s header was tipped over the bar.The Toffees should have done more when Jean-Clair Todibo, having far from his best game, was robbed by Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the West Ham half.Calvert-Lewin checked this way and that trying to create an angle but had to move the ball on before the move ended with Orel Mangala’s shot sailing high and wide.West Ham’s continued haplessness was offering Everton hope of a first win in three but this side appear to need a dozen chances to even truly test an opposing goalkeeper.Lopetegui made a triple change, sending on Carlos Soler, Vladimir Coufal and Ings to try and liven things up.Both sides were fortunate to get a pointCredit: PAThere were missed chances from plenty of starsCredit: RexWest Ham did start to see more of the ball, but were still struggling to make things happen.Lucas Paqueta – having gone missing since about February – found space on the edge of the box with players lining up in the middle but elected to dink the ball out of play.The Brazilian is capable of turning games like this on his head when at his best, but Hammers fans have seen nothing near that level of form for the majority of this year.There are always odd flashes, such as the ball which sent Summerville through before he struck the post, but never enough.West Ham’s mega summer spend looks to have backfiredCredit: PASean Dyche is likely to have taken a point before kick-offCredit: GettyWest Ham were more advanced after their changes but still giving the ball away with alarming regularity.Bowen, still not back in the England squad, was having to chase a touch of the ball everywhere and looking up to find very few options each time he gained possession.Everton, knowing a point was more valuable to them, were happy to sit in and frustrate as the hosts looked for a much needed late winner.Ings found space in the box, just as he did for a late leveller at Fulham earlier this season, but this time his left-footed strike was met by Pickford.West Ham’s substitute striker was doing all he could to get them all three points, but was being frustrated by Everton’s stopper.READ MORE SUN STORIESPickford saved the best for last, pulling off a stunning late save to send Ings’ deflected shot over the bar.The England goalkeeper was one of the only ones to leave the pitch with credit thanks to his superb stops and some canny time wasting to earn the point. 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PEP GUARDIOLA smiled when it was put to him that two of his old assistants are now among his biggest rivals.He said: “If you want to be a manager, come on my staff — and maybe you’ll have a chance!”Pep Guardiola has had his say on his two former assistantsCredit: ReutersEnzo Maresca landed the Chelsea job after a year at LeicesterCredit: RexMikel Arteta worked on Guardiola’s staff for more than three yearsCredit: RexSpeaking last month, the Manchester City boss was only half-joking.But the fact is the managers of two of the Prem’s powerhouses have both served their apprenticeship under the master himself at the Etihad.And on Sunday, Arsenal chief Mikel Arteta and Chelsea boss Enzo  Maresca go head to head for the first time — in a vital London derby at Stamford Bridge.What’s more, both are now expected to push Guardiola’s side for the major honours.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLGuardiola said: “They are so young and will have much success in the future.“It was a pleasure for me to work with them. The knowledge is back and forth, not just in one direction.”Yet Maresca is sure that both he and his opposite number tomorrow owe a huge debt of gratitude to the man who has won six of the last seven Prem titles.The Blues boss, 44, said: “I learned many things from Pep. If I’m here today, it’s probably because of the amount of things that I have been lucky to learn next to him.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSMaresca worked under Guardiola at CityCredit: ReutersArteta assisted Guardiola prior to landing the Arsenal jobCredit: Reuters“Probably both of us, we have to be thankful because we worked beside the one who I consider the best manager in the world.”And Arteta echoed those feelings, saying: “Enzo has had many years learning from some top people and he is proving he is a very good  manager at the top level. Enzo has given his touch and you can see clearly what he wants to do.Enzo Maresca hails Chelsea professionalism in comprehensive win over FC Noah“He has been very brave from day one to consistently follow what he wanted to do.“I know a lot of people that know him well and are very happy with him that he’s making a lot of progress there.”Arteta was the first to become one of Pep’s disciples, way back in summer 2016, and served a longer apprenticeship at almost three-and-a-half years.It’s hard to believe it now — when you see him prowling the touchline at the Emirates — but Arteta was quiet when he first linked up with Pep.Guardiola had identified the former Rangers, Everton and Arsenal midfielder as someone who could help him learn about the Premier League.Arteta had only just hung up his boots and was determined to learn as much as he could for a future in management.ARTETA’S FIRST TESTIn the early days, Pep’s then-No 2 Domenec Torrent took his fellow Spaniard under his wing and relayed his ideas to the manager.They quickly realised he had something special though — and four months into the season, Arteta was given his first real test.Pep took the young coach into his office ahead of a game with Arsenal in December 2016 and told him ‘you’re in charge for this one’.Luckily the young apprentice had guessed he would be asked his opinion — as he had been playing for the opponents a few months earlier.So he had come prepared and Guardiola liked his ideas. City won the game 2-1 thanks to a late Raheem Sterling goal.’FROM THE START I WAS FASCINATED’That won him respect from his superiors but he was learning so much from the former coach of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.He says in the book ‘Pep’s City’: “From the start I was fascinated by Guardiola’s work ethic — his ability to transmit his ideas to his players and convince them they are going to work.“How he simplifies the most complicated things  so they appear straightforward.”Arteta was not long retired and he would often be asked to join in training — as he and Pep felt it was an excellent way to see things from the ‘inside’.After two years on the coaching staff, he stepped up to be the main assistant when Torrent moved to the MLS.’THE CLUB OF HIS HEART’And many even viewed him as a natural successor to Guardiola — before Arsenal, who Pep always knew was the ‘club of his heart’, appointed him a year later.It was a few months after that when Maresca first came onto the radar of the Etihad hierarchy.He was recommended to City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain by their old boss Manuel Pellegrini. And he was appointed head coach of the Under-23s in 2020 – taking charge of Cole Palmer, James McAtee, Tommy Doyle and Liam Delap.During his only season in that role, he led the club to the Premier League 2 title and impressed everyone.Crucially, with Covid restrictions in full swing, he found himself in the same bubble as Guardiola and Begiristain and they quickly realised what Pellegrini had been talking about.The City boss was soon telling everyone Maresca would go on to become an ‘extraordinary manager’.A move to Parma did not work out, so when Pep’s assistant Juanma Lillo left for a job in Qatar in summer 2022, he was brought back to City — this time with the first team.He was only back for a year — but what a year it proved to be as City swept to their historic Treble.Leicester came calling for him to replace Brendan Rodgers but Guardiola urged him to see the season out  and Maresca wanted to do that too.The recent Netflix documentary ‘Together: Treble Winners’ shows the pair having a heated debate around a tactics board at half-time in the Champions League final.Pep later felt the way he had approached the team-talk at the interval in Istanbul had been key to them beating Inter to win the trophy.Leicester came back in for him a few days later and, after one season with the Foxes, he landed a job with one of the Prem’s superpowers.READ MORE SUN STORIESGuardiola looked puzzled when it was put to him in pre-season that the new Chelsea boss was known as ‘Diet Pep’. He asked: “Is it because of the bald head and the beard?”But he has known for a while there is a lot more to the Italian than that. More

CHRIS WOOD’S career revival should help inspire every kid, every non-league hopeful, across the country.He has proved that, at the age of 32, there’s still a space in football for different types of players.Chris Wood won the Premier League Player of the Month award for OctoberCredit: GettyErling Haaland isn’t ‘real life’ for most coaches – but Wood can give hope to upcoming prospects in non-league and academiesCredit: GettyWe get so caught up in how Pep Guardiola plays, what Pep has, what Pep wants — but that isn’t real life.It is not real life to have Erling Haaland.Coaches should be telling these kids: you don’t have to be like Haaland . . . you can be like Chris Wood.It gives people in the lower leagues, all those who are not traditional academy prospects, hope.READ MORE ON NOTTINGHAM FORESTAnd what you are seeing now is based purely on his hard work — his determination to keep going.It is just incredible to see his numbers. 14 goals in the Prem last season. Eight in ten now.Who’s to say he can’t go and get 20 come May?All he needs is two goals a month until then.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSA lot of people had written him off. He had gone to Newcastle from Burnley in 2021 and it didn’t work.And before he arrived at Nottingham Forest last summer on a permanent deal, he would have heard people tell him: You’re finished, you’re old, you should go to the Championship.Fans chant ‘you don’t know where you’re going’ as Edson Alvarez gets LOST trying to find tunnel at Nottingham ForestFor some reason, when a player hits 30 it’s then a danger zone.Why? Trust me, nobody in a dressing room cares about age. And where he is at now, he is cutting out the noise.Those poor experiences at Newcastle have taught him so much, knowing what to do and how to act in the tough times.He’s been there, he’s battled it, he’s got the scars and he has the look of a guy who isn’t afraid to keep working in the shadows because you know one day, you will get a chance.You must remember, the start to his career was tough, too, coming over from New Zealand to England at West Brom.He was then shipped out on loan after loan to the likes of Barnsley, Brighton, Birmingham, Bristol City, Millwall . . . All of those would have shaped him.And I even remember when he was at Leicester as a 21-year-old, playing against him for Watford in the Championship play-offs back in 2012-13.In that second leg, when I scored a fairly memorable winner at Vicarage Road, he started up front, but was taken off after an hour for a young Harry Kane.I don’t mean this disrespectfully but he was sluggish — a bit cumbersome.It looked like his shoulders were too big for him with skinny legs.He was decent, a big target man, but nothing special. Now, he is a Rubik’s Cube of a man — just so solid.And he is a lovely bloke, what you would expect with a guy from Down Under.But did I think that, 11 years later, he would be in the early running for the Prem Golden Boot? Absolutely not.He has stuck at it and with the way football is now, he is really suited to it.No one really defends any more. Everyone has a high line and you can find space.And, then, Nuno Espirito Santo has come in at Forest and believed he could get more out of this fella.So he tweaked the system, getting more pace around him with Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi.That’s a sign of a great coach. Nuno doesn’t get the credit that he deserves for looking at the players he has and changing things around to win games.You compare that to someone like Russell Martin over at Southampton who looks at what he has got and still plays his way, sticks to a philosophy, a style, regardless of results.Apparently now, that’s the way to go? What about winning games . . . ?What about getting the very best out of what you have? What about being smart and pragmatic?And those two words — smart and pragmatic — perfectly sum up Nuno and Wood.Forest have a chance to do something special this season.I am not saying they will go and do a Leicester and win the league but the stars are aligning early doors.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe ‘big boys’ just aren’t as dominant. Manchester City are in a mini-crisis. Arsenal are having a bit of a wobble. Liverpool look good but are still in transition.And against his old club Newcastle tomorrow, he now has the chance to say: You didn’t think I was good enough? Just watch this. More