Nuno Espirito Santo faces uphill battle vs Arsenal as stat revealed which doesn’t bode well
West Ham visit Arsenal in their next Premier League game in a tough test for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
Arsenal have developed a reputation for scoring from set-pieces so far this season, whereas West Ham have conceded eight from corners.
In their last outing, Mikel Arteta’s side completed a late comeback against Newcastle, with headed goals from Gabriel and Mikel Merino helping them to a 2-1 win.
Konstantinos Mavropanos was at fault for Everton’s goal in West Ham’s 1-1 draw, with Michael Keane heading home following a corner.
West Ham tend to struggle vs Arsenal
Corners aren’t the only worry for Nuno going into Saturday’s game.
Questions still remain over whether David Sullivan is fit to run West Ham after a nightmare 18 months for the Hammers.
West Ham will also come up against their former midfielder Declan Rice, who has developed a strong record against the Hammers since moving to Arsenal for £100million in 2023.
In 150 games against the Gunners, the Hammers have only won 38.
| West Ham | Team | Arsenal |
| 150 | Games | 150 |
| 38 | Wins | 72 |
| 40 | Draws | 40 |
| 178 | Goals scored | 254 |
There have been 40 draws between the two sides, with 72 wins in favour of Saturday’s hosts.
Last season, West Ham were battered by Mikel Arteta’s side 5-2 in November 2024, but earned a surprise 1-0 away win in February in one of Graham Potter’s first games in charge.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s record isn’t much better vs Arsenal
In ten games against Arsenal, teams managed by Nuno have won just three times.
He has also lost four times against Arteta, with three draws, averaging 1.2 points a game, including a 3-1 defeat in the North London derby.
If Nuno is to get his first win of the season, he has a mountain to climb at the Emirates, especially with the added element of defending from set pieces.
Defending has been one of the main things that the Portuguese manager and his current coaching staff have been working on throughout the week.
It will be interesting to see whether those changes will be noticed on Saturday.
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