Nuno Espirito Santo given perfect formula he must use in West Ham vs Aston Villa
West Ham have found new strength under Nuno Espirito Santo, with Aston Villa next up at the London Stadium on Sunday.
The Hammers have picked up a series of impressive results under Nuno, but they need to start converting their draws into wins as they prepare to host Villa in the Premier League.
Nuno started Guido Rodriguez in the 1-1 draw against Brighton, but the Argentina international once again failed to impress in a West Ham shirt.
Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa both dropped to the bench at the AMEX, but Nuno has to reinstate them in the starting line-up as he aims to secure the third win of his West Ham tenure.
West Ham must use energetic trio to compete with Aston Villa’s rotating midfield
Villa are flying under Unai Emery as they sit third in the table, and a 2-1 win over Arsenal on Saturday has left them three points off the league leaders.
They have started to use a double pivot at the base of midfield, and a number 10 playing ahead of them.
However, John McGinn has often played on the right wing, tucking in to create a box in midfield, making the Villans incredibly tough to break down.
| Stat | Villa |
| Wins | 9 |
| Draws | 0 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Goals scored | 22 |
| Goals conceded | 10 |
A way for West Ham to compete against them would be to play both Magassa and Potts in the centre of the park, with Lucas Paqueta just ahead of them.
Fernandes has been a breath of fresh air, and his versatility means that he could start wide against Villa, replacing Crycensio Summerville in the team, similar to what McGinn does.
Coincidentally, Fernandes played on the left wing against Nuno’s Nottingham Forest on 31 August, excelling on his debut and playing a huge part in West Ham’s only away win of the campaign.
If Nuno were to line up this way, the Hammers would nullify Villa’s central threat and give themselves the best chance of securing a first win over Emery’s side since August 2022.
They’ll need their most energetic midfielders on the pitch, and Rodriguez certainly doesn’t fall into that category.
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Guido Rodriguez can’t be considered again by Nuno Espirito Santo
The midfielder has only started four games in all competitions this season, with his start against Brighton the first he’s had under Nuno.
Rodriguez has been linked with a move to Napoli ahead of the January transfer window, and it’s clear that his appearance against the Seagulls was completely unexpected, given how well Potts and Magassa played against Man United on 4 December.
Fernandes‘ arrival how shown fans exactly what they’ve been missing in the likes of Rodriguez and Edson Alvarez, and that’s dynamism at the heart of the team.
With a January exit approaching, his time at West Ham won’t be deemed as a success, and he shouldn’t be selected over any other midfielders until his future in E20 has been decided.
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