Nuno Espirito Santo’s biggest challenge laid bare as damning stat vs Arsenal emerges
West Ham United’s poor start to the season continued with defeat at Arsenal.
West Ham lost 2-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates thanks to goals from Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, as the Hammers remained in the bottom three.
Nuno Espirito Santo is still awaiting his first win as West Ham manager since his appointment last Saturday, having drawn 1-1 with Everton in his first game in charge.
West Ham‘s attack has been a major problem so far this season, which Nuno has to solve, and that was laid bare in the defeat at the Emirates by a concerning stat.
West Ham fail to have a shot on target against Arsenal
West Ham were poor at the Emirates, failing to really lay a glove on the hosts all game and letting them ease their way to the top of the Premier League.
The Hammers failed to register a shot on target in North London, whilst also only registering 0.49 expected goals throughout the entire 90 minutes, compared to Arsenal’s 3.15.
It’s not as though the Hammers were without chances during the defeat, as Lucas Paqueta put in a good display by creating multiple chances.
| Lucas Paqueta vs Arsenal | Total |
| Touches | 65 |
| Pass accuracy | 28/32 (88%) |
| Key passes | 2 |
| Big chances created | 2 |
However, Niclas Fullkrug was extremely poor yet again for West Ham, missing a big chance early on, before registering just 18 touches and being hooked in the 63rd minute.
Callum Wilson has to start now
Fullkrug has proven time and again that he cannot be trusted to lead the frontline for West Ham, having scored just three times since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2024.
Callum Wilson arrived at the London Stadium on a free transfer from Newcastle United this summer, and has almost exclusively been on the bench, starting just once in the 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
| Niclas Fullkrug at West Ham | Total |
| Appearances | 27 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 2 |
Nuno has given his trust to the German so far since his appointment, but now is the time to put his faith in the former Bournemouth man to deliver, which he has done in his limited minutes thus far.
If Fullkrug continues up front, then West Ham will be in the Championship come the end of May, its as simple as that.
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