Embarrassing West Ham record is topped by only one team in Europe’s top five leagues
West Ham United have not been firing on all cylinders this season, and numerous reasons have left their supporters unhappy.
The Hammers were in deep water from the off as they conceded 11 goals after their first three matches in all competitions, leading to Graham Potter losing his job.
Since Nuno Espirito Santo was introduced as West Ham manager, they have had three managers in 2025, including Potter and Julen Lopetegui.
The Portuguese kicked off life as manager in East London with a 1-1 draw against Everton, but a worrying trend still lingers in the post-Potter era.
West Ham rank among worst set-piece defenders in Europe
West Ham came from behind to draw 1-1 against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night, but the manner in which they conceded was all too familiar.
In their clash with the Toffees, West Ham conceded their eighth goal from a set-piece as Michael Keane nodded the hosts in front.
Nuno’s side have now conceded the second most goals from set-pieces in Europe this season, according to Sofascore.
The only team to have conceded more are Hoffenheim, who have a tally of nine.
West Ham will face Arsenal in their next match, which will provide plenty for Nuno to think about, considering the Gunners have scored from seven set pieces already this season.
- In the 2024-25 season, West Ham only conceded eight goals from corners in the Premier League
- Their next opponent, Arsenal, have scored from 36 corners since the start of the 2023-24 season
The stats do not make pleasant reading for the Hammers, and their next game could have supporters hiding behind the couches before every Arsenal corner.
Nuno Espirito Santo wants more aggression from West Ham
Given Nuno was only made West Ham manager on 27 September, to achieve a point at a ground that Everton are unbeaten at is no feat to turn your nose up at.
In his post-match press conference, the Portuguese was overall taking the positives from the result, but he still noted a weakness West Ham possesses when defending set-pieces.
He stated that his team need to be ‘more aggressive’ and they should have got ‘closer to Keane.’
After their 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace, Konstantinos Mavropanos also noted a shortfall in West Ham’s defence.
Tyrick Mitchell bagged the winner for the Eagles as the Irons could not defend another crossed ball, and the Greek defender claimed in an interview with West Ham that concentration was another issue among their defence.
Mental toughness is a key factor if West Ham want to improve
Nuno has a proven track record of fixing broken teams.
Most recently, his work with Nottingham Forest guided them to a top-seven finish that was built on a rigid defence.
| Clean Sheets | 13 |
| Clearances | 1,236 |
| Errors leading to a goal | 4 |
Forest were ranked joint-top for clean sheets last season.
In the season prior, the East Midlands side finished 17th and were a shadow of what they became.
Due to the work of Nuno, he had rejuvenated a team that only survived by the skin of their teeth the year before.
There is plenty of reason to believe he can do the exact same with West Ham, and he can start by ridding the frail mentality that has plagued the team during several set pieces this season.
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