Jeff Stelling confused by what Nuno Espirito Santo did in West Ham draw, original theory doesn’t make sense
Nuno Espirito Santo continues to baffle West Ham fans and Jeff Stelling.
West Ham only managed a draw against Brighton on Tuesday despite taking the lead through a first-half Lucas Paqueta penalty.
The Irons weren’t helped by Max Kilman and Paqueta giving penalties away at the London Stadium to help the away side to seal a point.
Nuno is facing issues at West Ham, but arguably, his own decision-making is causing problems that are hampering his spell in charge.
Stelling has been left frustrated by what he’s seen from Nuno in East London, while excuses continue to exist surrounding team selection.
Jeff Stelling frustrated by Callum Wilson treatment
Callum Wilson netted two against Bournemouth earlier in the campaign and has added a further three goal involvements to his tally away from the Vitality.
The Englishman has been the only true striker option in the Hammers’ squad, with Niclas Fullkrug suffering through injury before his exit.
That hasn’t stopped Nuno from snubbing the summer signing and utilising the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Paqueta in the number nine role.
Wilson’s fitness has been blamed for his consistent lack of minutes, whether from the bench or early substitution.
Stelling has spoken out via talkSPORT on 31 December to share his frustration surrounding this theory and the lack of gametime for the striker.
He said: “We’ve spoken about Callum Wilson, he [Nuno] started him last night, but he took him off after 63 minutes. He often does that, and I’m looking and thinking, ‘Maybe it’s an issue with his fitness?’ Callum Wilson played 87 minutes at Old Trafford against Manchester United, so that’s clearly not the case.“
Andy Townsend blames sports science for West Ham failings
There are plenty of issues in the Irons’ forward line right now, with the lack of true firepower from the number nine position.
Wilson has been used sparingly despite being the best option for Nuno, with his fitness taking priority over the team’s needs.
Andy Townsend has fallen on his own experiences and suggested that Nuno has to take the decisions into his own hands rather than relying on the sports science team in E20.
Following on from Stelling, he added: “The sports science side of football now is so sophisticated and has got to such a level that we can see the number of people that are wrapped around a first team whenever they travel to a ground. There’s another bus coming in for the support team staff, sports science and physios.
“I do think that sometimes managers are dominated by those people and that department in the football club a bit too much. Callum Wilson is a good example.
“There are probably people there saying, ‘Callum’s only got an hour in him,’ and managers often have to listen to these guys, but I’ve spoken to some of the more experienced managers, and they’ve said not to listen to these sports science guys too often, otherwise they’ll be picking the team for you.“
There is likely to be a happy medium between the two, but until a new striker comes in, it feels as if Wilson needs to be trusted week in, week out.
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