West Ham has played 810 minutes of Premier League football this season, but they have only been in winning positions for a little over 25 minutes. This means they are only winning 3.1% of the time, which really shows how tough things are for the club right now.
Nuno Espirito Santo has only been the coach for four games, but he is already under pressure. His team hasn’t shown any signs of getting better since he replaced Graham Potter. This was clear during their game at Elland Road on Friday night, where they suffered their seventh loss of the season.
Before the game, Nuno told his players to win their one-on-one battles. It only took three minutes for Noah Okafor to speed past Ollie Scarles and make a run for the goal, and Brenden Aaronson was there to score from the rebound.
Just 15 minutes into the game, West Ham’s defense was already struggling, allowing another header to turn into a goal, this time by Joe Rodon, who helped the home team take the lead. In fact, no other team has allowed more headed goals than West Ham this season.
The first goal came about because defenders Scarles and Aaron Wan-Bissaka didn’t do a good job at stopping the play. It was a bit surprising that Nuno chose to position them on sides they aren’t familiar with—Scarles, who usually plays left back, was on the right side, and Wan-Bissaka, who normally plays right back, was on the left.
Fans had hoped that bringing in Nuno as coach would improve the team’s defense, which had looked shaky, especially since the previous coach, Potter, made many changes in an effort to fix it.
There’s a sense of uncertainty surrounding West Ham, as their former manager from Nottingham Forest quickly notices that the team is lacking in skill and confidence.
While Nuno deserves some credit for trying to shake things up with his lineup, he hasn’t made many smart choices yet. This includes moving defenders to unfamiliar positions, bringing Andy Irving back into the fray too late, and failing to start a dedicated striker. He’s starting to realize it was a mistake not to have a proper striker when playing against Leeds.
At 51 years old, Nuno seems stuck in a tough spot. When he brought Callum Wilson into the game in the 25th minute, it didn’t change the situation on the field. Wilson isn’t performing at his best anymore, and the young Callum Marshall, at just 20, doesn’t have the experience needed to lead the team during such a challenging time as they fight against relegation.
Nuno’s choices are limited, and the upcoming January transfer window can’t come fast enough. It’s expected that the club will support him in bringing in new players. The previous manager, Potter, jokingly pointed out that the media made it sound like he needed to completely overhaul the team, and he wasn’t far from the truth.
West Ham is in serious need of fresh talent and a boost in their midfield, defense, and offense. The current squad seems to have accepted their struggles. For now, West Ham must find a way to stay competitive until January, or they risk falling too far behind in the season.
The Hammers are preparing for two vital home games against Newcastle and Burnley ahead of the upcoming international break, with expected protests from supporters against the club’s board likely to overshadow the preparations for both matches.
Following the final whistle against Newcastle, a sit-in by fans is expected, while a significant march is planned before the Burnley game, where supporters will deliver a petition that has already gathered over 16,000 signatures.
Nuno needs to take charge of the narrative. West Ham is currently struggling.
Nevertheless, accomplishing this with a squad that is already low on confidence and whose identity he is finding difficult to establish is quite a daunting task.
