All 41 words Wayne Rooney said about West Ham on Match of the Day after loss vs Arsenal
West Ham could go into the international break at the bottom of the Premier League table if Wolves beat Brighton at Molineux on Sunday.
It would mean that Wolves would have to win their first league game of the season. However, 20th place is pretty much where the Hammers deserve to sit after such a shocking start to the 2025-26 campaign.
West Ham sacked Graham Potter last week after such an abject start, with Nuno Espirito Santo stepping in to take the reins.
While Nuno’s first game in charge against Everton ended in a draw that stopped West Ham‘s rot on Monday night, the Portuguese boss didn’t have to wait too long for his first defeat.
Arsenal beat West Ham 2-0 at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka scoring in each half for Mikel Arteta’s side.
It’s a pivotal international break now for the Irons, with Wayne Rooney expecting Nuno to make the most of the players he has to work with at Rush Green in the coming days.
Wayne Rooney expects Nuno Espirito Santo to enforce his style on West Ham squad
West Ham failed to register any shots on target as they lost to Arsenal this weekend.
However, while a limp attack isn’t going to cause opponents any issues, West Ham’s biggest issue this season has been their defence, with the Irons conceding 16 goals already in seven games.
No other side in the English top-flight has conceded as many times as the Hammers and Rooney expects that Nuno will work hard at tightening up his defence before the players return to action against Brentford at the London Stadium on 20 October.
“We all know what a Nuno team looks like,” said Rooney on Match of the Day on Saturday night.
“He’ll be happy for the international break, where he can work with the players left there.
“I’m sure over the next few weeks we’ll see West Ham looking a little bit different.”
Nuno built a reputation for having a sturdy defence in his previous jobs.
Last season, when Nuno was in charge at Nottingham Forest, the East Midlands club conceded 46 goals in 38 Premier League games, giving them the joint-sixth best defensive record in the division.
Nuno Espirito Santo impressed by one West Ham star despite loss in North London
It wasn’t by any means a good day at the office for West Ham, who were largely dominated by Arsenal on Saturday.
Stats by Sofascore show that the Gunners had the vast majority of the ball, converted 50 per cent of their big chances and had a whopping 46 touches inside the Hammers’ box.
West Ham, on the other hand, missed both of their two big chances, had just eight touches in the Arsenal penalty area and didn’t even force a save out of David Raya.
- West Ham have scored six and conceded 16 in seven Premier League matches this season
- They’ll drop to the foot of the table if Wolves beat Brighton on Sunday
- They’ve averaged just 1.4 big chances per game this term, missing 1.1 of them
Nuno was able to focus on some positives after the loss, though, with the performance of second-half substitute Callum Marshall impressing him.
“What I’ve been seeing in training sessions, his energy, he’s a good finisher, good mobility, he can recognise the gaps in the space, he has a good chance, even though he’s not a strong boy against a very tough centre-half, he managed to get the header, so I think we have something that we can use,” Nuno said, as quoted by the Standard.
Marshall, 20, made just his second West Ham appearance when he came off the bench at the Emirates.
The last time he played for the Hammers was in their FA Cup third round replay defeat to Bristol City in January 2024 when he played the final 10 minutes.
Against Arsenal, stats show that the Northern Ireland international, who spent last season on loan at Huddersfield, touched the ball 11 times in the 29 minutes he was on the pitch.
He had one big chance at goal but missed it, while also completing 100 per cent of his passes, one of the two dribbles he attempted and one of the two aerial duels he challenged for.
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