Nuno Espirito Santo ‘absolutely bizarre’ after what he’s done at West Ham, but players also responsible
Nuno Espirito Santo has failed to inspire any change as West Ham United dropped more points against Leeds United on Friday.
The Hammers find themselves 19th in the table after their worst start in over 50 years, winning just one of their opening nine league matches this season.
Nuno was undone at Elland Road by Daniel Farke, with the Whites taking a two-goal lead in the opening 15 minutes of the game.
Jarrod Bowen seems to be the only player with quality at the London Stadium, but the England international is facing the prospect of relegation in E20 as his teammates fail to do the basics right.
West Ham team selections baffles as players fail to take accountability
It doesn’t look like most of the players at the Hammers care about the situation they find themselves in, considering their performances, Daniel Storey says.
The i Paper journalist believes that while Nuno hasn’t helped himself with his starting lineups since taking over at the London Stadium, none of the players, apart from Bowen, seem willing to take responsibility.
Against Leeds, the Portuguese manager surprisingly started in a back-three alongside Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman, but none of them seemed to know what they were doing.
Storey wrote in The i Paper on 27 October: “Nuno’s team selections have been absolutely bizarre and have confused West Ham supporters: Callum Wilson not starting, even with Nicklas Fullkrug injured, Andy Irving a key player and Aaron Wan Bissaka as the left-sided central defender of a three. These points are all relevant.”
“But also: does anybody actually want it enough? Watching West Ham defend is frustrating to a neutral, let alone a supporter. Nobody takes responsibility. Nobody seems to want to do the ugly stuff, and nobody seems to show any leadership (bar poor Bowen). Those three centre-backs cost almost £100m and are lacking any obvious basic qualities for their position.”
Opta’s supercomputer predicts Premier League relegation at the London Stadium, which would be a bitter blow for the Irons, who have maintained their top-flight status since 2012.
Nuno Espirito Santo future can be determined by next five games
Nuno risks getting sacked at the London Stadium if he doesn’t get his tactics right in the coming weeks.
West Ham face Newcastle United at home next on 2 November before welcoming Burnley on 8 November, a fixture that could determine their fate as Scott Parker’s team also fight to avoid relegation.
| Leeds | Statistics | West Ham |
| 41 | Possession | 59 |
| 1.49 | xG | 0.65 |
| 3 | Big chances | 0 |
| 13 | Total shots | 9 |
| 2 | Goalkeeper saves | 3 |
Then a run of relatively difficult fixtures will be upon the Portuguese manager if he survives till then, against high-flying Bournemouth, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Picking the majority of points in the upcoming matches is undoubtedly a massive ask for Nuno, but failure to turn the tide in E20 may lead to his demise in E20.
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